


Pick Me Up (Because I’m Falling Apart)

by TheTiredGeneticist



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: "why are there two of them" is said so many times, Awkward Family Reunion, Divergent Timelines, Domestic Fluff, Don’t worry no one dies, Emily is scary sometimes, Emily just wants all her girls to be happy, Emily used intimidate, F/F, F/M, Gabe is a big grumpy dad, Hey at least she tries., M/M, Moira isn't a horrible person, Moira learning how to be a decent aunt again, Moira please be nice., Moira's 24/7 migraine, Multi, NO YOU MAY NOT TOUCH IT, Nosebleeds, Rose is a twitchy marshmallow, Rose is the retribution assassin, Rose needs a hug, Rose&Sombra bromance, Suggestions welcome, THIS IS SENSITIVE MEDICAL EQUIPMENT, Talon!Tracer, Two Tracers, angst and darkness but lots of fluff too, at least not AS horrible, awkward lesbian Rose Oxton, but it never lasts, but she can also kill you, even more awkward lesbian Widowmaker, except two of them are Tracer., her name is Rose but that comes later, how do I widowxtracerxrosexemily, it was somewhat effective, kinda sorta an ot4, reconditioning failsafes suck, what is this ship, with her knife hands, yet - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-28
Updated: 2019-08-29
Packaged: 2020-02-08 16:39:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 32,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18627121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheTiredGeneticist/pseuds/TheTiredGeneticist
Summary: When an accident in her timeline dropped an alternate version of Tracer into a different and unfamiliar world, her journey of redemption is both short lived and tragically unsuccessful. With the old guard seemingly on the brink of madness and Overwatch tearing itself apart, will this former Talon operative be able to survive, thrive, and become the hero she was meant to be?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, first fanfic and hoo boy I’m nervous. There will be errors but I’ll correct them as soon as possible. I hope it isn’t too terrible, and I hope you stick around for more!

Chapter 1

Failure was not an option. As much as she hated saying it. She was never one to take failure seriously, not in her own timeline and not this one. Now, however, it was different. This was very different. So much was riding on this battle and she for once felt it. The anxiety and fear that came at the prospect of losing. The fear for teammates that weren’t even hers. She hated it but she had a chance to save everyone. All she had to do was save herself.

‘ _I should have made them listen. Why didn’t they listen!?’_ The guilt was bubbling thickly in her gut as she ran, berating herself for taking so long to arrive, for being so slow to figure out what had happened in the first place. She had only realized what Talon's goal was after Tracer had vanished from her team with a trademark wink and giggle, and had not returned.

Lena pushed her burning legs to move faster, she was so _close_. The smell of smoke and blood filled her lungs and made her choke.

It had only been a few weeks since she was dropped into this timeline and she had done her best to settle in and help out this time’s Overwatch. She had been as careful as she could going in. She hid her face, stowed her clunky accelerator in a backpack and even ditched her old aviator jacket to meld in as someone new. She had done everything correctly yet it had somehow all went wrong. It seemed to be a pattern for her. All it had taken was _one_ slip, one sentence spoken in her native accent and she was blown. It hadn’t seemed so bad at first. Everyone was shocked and she had to go through questioning to determine if she was really Lena Oxton. Blood tests backed her up right until she had to reveal her face. The only person who reacted badly was Jack Morrison, but being the leader of an organization meant everyone usually followed your lead. He had taken one look at her darkened hair and bright crimson eyes and had jumped to conclusions. _Talon_. A doppelgänger sent in to break Overwatch from the inside. He would have killed her right then had Dr. Ziegler not stopped him. And even she had looked terrifyingly _cold_ when she looked down at the Brit. So Lena did the only thing she could do to preserve her life. She ran. She ran like death itself was after her. The only one to call her name was in fact herself. This timeline’s Lena, but she couldn’t push down the panic enough to slow. So she ran until her legs trembled and gave out in an alley.

It had been two weeks since then. She had remained in Gibraltar, watching from the shadows and lending a silent hand if anyone needed it be it Overwatch or civilian. It was the least she could do. She sent in tips on suspicious activities whenever she could, hoping that Overwatch would pull its head out of its ass and take the help. They did need it rather desperately. But she watched in despair as they took more casualties because they ran into battles she had tried to warn them about. It was sickening. Sitting in an abandoned apartment complex, Lena had watched the carnage unfolding on a flickering holoscreen. feeling her gut clench. Jack mercilessly led his teammates into battle after battle, losing far more than they won and nearly getting them all killed more than once. Winston had been injured so badly he had nearly bled out before Mercy reached him. Mcree almost lost a leg. Pharah began refusing to deploy. Lucio and Hanah’s output of streams and music dwindled, then stopped as they sank into miserable silence. They were all suffering. And Lena had had to sit by and watch.

No, this time, she couldn’t sit back and watch. Tracer was separated from the team, one of Dr. Ziegler’s wing attachments was broken, and Jack was screaming orders to people who were either dead or crippled as he tried to salvage an impossible victory. It was a bloody, _hellish_ mistake he refused to back away from. It would cost him dearly if he didn’t stop. At the very least, Lena _would_ make sure her other self made it out of this. Watching oneself die tended to cause serious mental injuries. Lena knew it too well. Sometimes she didn’t know how she even managed to put one foot in front of the other. Her trip through time and space had provided her with a glimpse of every possible timeline and how each began and ended. She had seen herself die countless times, almost losing her mind once it was over.

It was easy to avoid Morrison, he was still too busy screaming at at the nearest person, Lucio, to get his ass in gear. The poor DJ’s hands shook as he did his best to heal an already deceased soldier, eyes blankly staring at the street. Lena wished she could comfort him, hell, she wanted to give him the biggest hug she could. With a huge effort she moved on, leaving Lucio as he continued to try to heal dead men.

She surged past Reinhardt and Ana as they tried to contact Jack to plead for a retreat, they barely noticed her. She had to take a flying leap to avoid bowling over Angela as she rounded the corner, helping an injured recruit get to safety. Angela gave a startled cry as she flashed overhead, trailing red. Whatever she said was lost on Lena, until a bullet ripped through her thigh and she crashed to the ground, sparks flying as the rim of her accelerator ground against the cobblestone street. She let out a grunt when her back hit the wall, the impact momentarily stunning her before she pushed herself up, grimacing as the movement set her leg burning. Angela had her pistol trained on her, though she was shaking visibly. Angela Ziegler was a pacifist, it was well known. That she’d actually _shot_ Lena came as a surprise in itself. Lena’s hands were raw from trying to stop her fall, and her goggles had been knocked clean off, lost somewhere now as she struggled to get her feet under her.

“You aren’t causing any more trouble, come quietly and I will not have to inflict any more pain.”

Lena could see the look of disgust on her face change to shock when she somehow managed to get back up and hobble onward, her face set in grim determination. Her leg wasn’t responding as well as she wanted it to, and it throbbed if she put any weight on it. She dimly registered the sensation of blood streaming down her inner thigh with each step.

“Stop this. You are going to bleed out at this rate, I know I severed an artery.” Angela’s voice trembled. She was _worried_ and trying her hardest to hide it as someone too identical to her friend limped away trailing blood and only smiling back at her faintly.

“I’m trying to save your Oxton. And I will even if it kills me. Sorry Ange, I can’t let you arrest me.” She said, even as she leaned against a wall to ride out a wave of nausea and dizziness. Her vision dimmed dangerously and she fought to keep her balance, pushing down the nausea that threatened to take her right then and there.

Angela did call out when she took off again, this time pleading but it was too late. Lena was so close to the other Oxton, she only had a few blocks to go. She could hear the gunfire and see the blue flashes that were the brunette as she fought to stay in one piece. And from the loud shotgun blasts that were echoing from nearby she was engaged with death himself. She looked exhausted. The left side of her goggles were shattered and her accelerator seemed to have taken a direct hit, sparking wildly as she fought. She was going to lose. Lena pushed herself harder when she saw one of the agent’s legs buckle and she collapsed to the rooftop in a gasping, shivering heap as Reaper prepared to unleash the rage and bloodlust building within him. It was now or never. Do or die. Lena vaulted to their roof as the first shots began to fly, and she only just managed to throw herself in front of her other self before the world exploded in flashes of white and sprays of red, and her whole body erupted in blinding lances of agony.

**“DIE DIE DIE!”**

She hit the ground with a dull thud, body going boneless as the first few shots landed. Her brain was reeling and struggled to figure out just how bad her injuries were. She only knew that she felt cold. So cold. She could feel the warmth draining out of her as blood pooled under her and soaked into the rooftop. Each breath came as a gurgle and she felt warm wetness bubbling in her throat. Her body wouldn't obey her when she tried to sit up, to at least make sure Tracer was alive. Or in better shape than she was. A wordless cry drew her attention as her enraged double flew over her and drove the exhausted talon agent away with a ferocious barrage of gunfire and she finished the fight with a well placed pulse bomb that scattered Reaper into smoke. It was over. She made it. She let herself relax, her shoulders slumping as Tracer ran back, limping heavily but still running. Her goggles were shattered on one side, and her accelerator was covered in dents and scratches.

“Why did you do that!? _WHY_!?” Her voice sounded distant, as though she were yelling from the opposite end of a tunnel. Her bright hazel eyes were already full of tears that spilled over as she dropped to her knees and hovered for a moment, before she let out a sob and gathered the bloodied girl into her arms. “You’re so stupid....” she whimpered into her matted hair as she rocked back and forth, hugging her alternate self to her even as she swore at her. Lena let out a strained, gurgly laugh, her head falling back the moment it was unsupported as she forced her eyes open to look at herself. She was beaten but not broken. She was _alive_. She did something right for once. She swallowed painfully, her lungs were burning and each exhale brought with it a soft gurgle. _“I didn’t screw up this time....”_ she breathed, as Tracer cradled her and leaned down to hear what she was saying. “ _I made it_.....” her head dropped back and her eyes fluttered shut, drawing a cry of panic from Tracer as she shook Lena’s shoulders as hard as she dared, this time getting no response.

Lena was dimly aware of her body leaving the ground and her double begging her to keep her eyes open as she ran back towards the main battle, _screaming_ for Dr.Ziegler. She was crying. Fading in and out, Lena only remembered snatches after that.


	2. A Rough Start part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena rushes her double to Angela, who begrudgingly does what she can to save her life. More stupid exposition.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate exposition. It sucks. But I'm almost done with it so the story will hopefully improve from here!

“Angela! **HELP ME**!!!” Lena cried as she leaped over a fallen light pole and caught sight of the medic kneeling over a deceased team member. Her face was drawn and weary, and worst of all she looked numb to all of the destruction around her. When her name was called she slowly looked up, blankly at first, before she finally focussed on the person screaming her name. The colour drained out of the doctor’s face when she looked up from her work. Lena was clutching the broken and bloodied body of the second Tracer in her arms, her eyes frantic as she ran full tilt towards her. The latter was as pale as a sheet, her clothing soaked with an alarming amount of blood. She didn't look the slightest bit alive.

“She just... I don’t.... right in front of me and..... you can.....?” Lena's words were fractured by harsh sobs and panting, evidently she had not slowed the entire way back and she was exhausted. She skidded to a halt and dropped to her knees, sobbing as Angela instructed her.

“Lay her down, _gently_.” She said as she knelt and felt for a pulse. There was nothing at first, until she moved her fingers just a little bit and found one, but it was only a faint fluttering. Her accelerator was sparking wildly. Lena’s hands were trembling as she helped to unbuckle the damaged device and lift it away from Tracer’s body to let Angela assess her injuries. A bullet had pierced straight through the accelerator and lodged in the back faring after passing through the brunette’s torso. She probably had a collapsed lung at the very least. Severe internal hemmoraging at the worst. Not to mention the severed artery in her leg.

“I’ll remove any remaining bullets later. I need to stabilize her now.” She said, more to herself than to Lena, who was gripping her double’s limp hand in her own and sobbing. She had never seen her friend so pale before, nearly as pale as the brunette lying on the ground. She grabbed her staff and began to channel the healing stream of nanobots into the lifeless body, directing them to the worst injuries as she found them. There was far too much damage to heal all at once, but she could at least try to keep her from dying in the next few minutes, which she was well on her way to doing. She passed over minor scrapes and bruises, sealing bullet wounds and damaged muscle and bone, it was a temporary fix at best but there was only so much she could do in the time she had. If someone saw her here the result could be disastrous.

Lena yelped when the injured Tracer suddenly made a choking sound and coughed up a mouthful of blood, cringing when part of a pulverized shotgun shell came up with it. She hovered helplessly as her double curled in on herself with a gasp, shuddering from head to toe from the pain. Her breaths came in ragged gasps and her eyes rolled frantically under their lids. Lena didn’t hesitate to sweep her up into a tight hug to still her, resting her cheek on matted brown hair and squeezing her eyes shut as hot tears rolled down her cheeks to soak into her double’s darker hair.

“That’s a good sign, her lung is fully regenerated and she brought up the slug that inflicted the damage. We should be able to move her now.” Angela said as she beckoned for a stretcher from the evacuation ship. If they could get Tracer onto the evac ship before Jack realized she was here, they could safely smuggle her into one of the abandoned areas of the watchpoint. The old base was not fully restored and had a few unused or condemned areas that would be safe. If Jack showed up now he would just put a bullet in her skull and leave her here. She had nearly sacrificed her own life to save Lena, and that was enough to prove her loyalty for the time being. She slid her hands under Tracer’s shoulders as a recruit set a stretcher down next to them, and Lena took her legs as they carefully hoisted the wounded Brit onto it. Her head lolled around lifelessly and she didn’t even stir now that her seizure had passed.

“You saw nothing. If commander Morrison asks, I am treating an injured recruit and need to keep the back room sterile. Do not let him in.” Angela said sternly to the cadet as she and Lena hurriedly lifted the stretcher and left him standing in confusion. No one was on the shuttle when they carried Tracer on board, for which they were extremely grateful. Less people to worry about. If everything went right they wouldn’t be disturbed.

Angela locked the door behind them, flicking on the overhead light as Lena anxiously leaned on the edge of the gurney they had eased the brunette’s lifeless body onto.

“She’ll be okay right?” Her voice trembled as she spoke, “S-she’ll be ok? She’ll w-wake up and then I c-can.....” she gripped the edge of the gurney as she bit her lip hard enough to draw small beads of blood. The fear and sorrow in her voice made Angela pause as she pulled on a new pair of gloves. Lena had only been this upset on two other occasions. One had been Ana Amari's funeral. The other had been after the assassination of Mondatta.

“I don’t know.” Was the most honest answer Angela could give. It was better than sweetly lying. “My treatment works best when applied moments after injury. You took at least five minutes, maybe more, to reach me. I can’t promise that there won’t be any lasting damage, or if she will even wake up. We have to wait and see.” Her heart felt heavy as Lena’s shoulders dropped and she sagged against the gurney with a low whimper, her face hidden behind her hair but Angela knew she was crying. She gripped the other brunette's limp hand between her own and squeezed, pressing it to her forehead in an attempt to calm herself.

Lena had never kept her feelings about her double a secret. She had wanted to drag her back and help her the moment she was found out, and would damn well have chased after her had McCree not held her back until she struggled and kicked her way to exhaustion. She didn’t believe for a moment that the girl in front of her was in any way a threat to anyone, besides maybe herself. Not even severe reprimand kept her from arguing with Jack when he announced that this mirror image of their poster girl was extremely dangerous, and was to be brought in dead or alive. Preferably dead. The coldness in his eyes made everyone shiver. That day Jack had changed. He wasn’t the captain everyone looked up to. He was a man controlled by fear and hatred, who had attempted to murder someone with the same face he used to look at with an almost fatherly fondness. Lena had to be devastated. She finally found her double, only to now face the possibility of losing her.

“I will do what I can. If Jack finds out you know I can do nothing.” Angela said with a sigh as she pinched the bridge of her nose. She could feel the migraine coming as she grabbed stand and an IV to try to get some fluids back into her system. She looked like more blood was on the outside and that was a concern.

“You’re gonna be ok...” Lena mumbled as Angela began to sterilize the brunette’s arm to insert the IV needle. “You’re gonna be aces and everything will be ok....” her eyes were shut now as she drooped against the gurney like a dying flower. It didn’t take much coaxing to move her to lie down on another gurney, where she dropped off almost immediately and began softly snoring. Angela leaned against the door with a sigh, watching her two charges sleep, and trying to formulate a possible plan for when they arrived back at Gibraltar. Lena would not let anything hurt her double, and she knew that Jack wouldn't be happy about Angela's decision to isolate someone when the room could easily hold several more people. Convincing him her patient took priority, keeping him out of the room, and smuggling a half-dead woman out and into The watchpoint was a daunting task, one she wasn't looking forward to.


	3. A Rough Start part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena begins her recovery. Angela is a bit of an ass, Tracer introduces herself to Emily, Emily has a new precious.

Lena woke up feeling heavy. She could feel the tube shoved down her throat, forcing air into her newly healing lungs. She could hear soft beeping, and forcing her eyes open rewarded her with a look at all the machines keeping her alive. She didn’t know why Angela had even bothered. The doctor had _no reason_....

She knew that the doctor Ziegler from her timeline would have shown her little to no mercy, pardon the pun. She had watched so many of her friends die at the former pilot’s hands that she had forfeit her oath to do no harm and would have dispatched her given the opportunity.

Lena blinked as a soft snore drew her attention to the far corner, where Dr. Ziegler was slumped over her desk, fast asleep. No matter what timeline she was in she always worked herself half to death. The Dr. Ziegler of her timeline was very much the same, at least she was. She had been that way when Lena had known her. She _never_ changed. Lena would have giggled but the tube down her throat made that rather difficult. The attempt did start one of the monitors beeping and that roused the good doctor. She made a mutinous sound and slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes and looking around. She turned to the occupied bed and when her eyes found the offending machine she quickly got up and made her way to the bed, checking on all the machinery and silencing the beeping before she even looked at the bed’s occupant. She was more concerned about the machines than the life she was trying to save. It was not a surprise after being shot by the woman, but it still felt like a punch to the gut.

When Angela finally turned her attention to the injured woman tears had begun to trail down her face and the sight seemed to greatly startle the normally professional and cool woman. “I....” she didn’t finish as Lena’s eyes crinkled in a familiar way. If that tube weren’t there Angela knew she would be smiling despite the tears of _sorrow_ welling in her crimson eyes. The doctor felt something shatter inside of her when the Brit tried to speak and only choked on the tube, probably trying to comfort her like she knew Lena would. One hand tried to rise but was too weighed down by medical equipment to reach the doctor. The monitors began to sound off as the girl became more and more distressed by her immobility and kept trying to move.

“Ok, ok Lena it’s alright. Calm down.” Angela finally blurted out as she stepped forward and began to unbuckle the straps that held the breathing tube in place. Her hands were shaking. Lena made a strangled sound in reply, straining against the equipment that held her down. “Stop struggling and I’ll get these things off just _for god’s sake_ Lena stop wriggling!” Angela hissed as she pulled the mask and attached tube away, sliding it out of the Brit’s throat as gently as she could. She didn't know how long she had been intubated, but Lena knew her voice was not up to the task of speaking so she simply opened and closed her mouth a few times while the doctor began removing the IV tubes.

“We had to hide you I’m afraid. Some of the team was all for executing you right in the ORCA. Assuming you didn’t bleed out on the way back to watchpoint. You almost did.” Angela seemed to be trying to fill the uncomfortable silence with idle chatter but it was not working. Lena let her head fall back on the pillow and turned her head to look away from the doctor as she worked, watching the sun rise through the large window in what seemed to be an infirmary. She could see snow falling and her brow furrowed. Just how long had she been out?

She wasn't surprised that the good doctor left the restraints in place. She had no reason to trust Lena not to attack her the moment she was unshackled. The handcuffs on her wrists wouldn't be able to hold her if she were at full strength, and they were still easy enough to slip out of. She could be out of her restraints and out of the room before the doctor could react. Her thoughts were elsewhere, however, on far more important things than her own safety.

"...Where's Lena....?" She croaked, slowly turning her head to look around. There was no one else in the room besides Angela, but Lena could see evidence of another person. There was a half empty water bottle next to the bed and a crumpled up bag of chips that she knew from a glance was inedible in any doctor's opinion. Had Tracer been watching over her? The thought made her feel warm and fuzzy. "She isn't here. And I don't think you two should interact without supervision." The doctor replied, startling Lena out of her thoughts as she pulled the last bit of medical tape off of her arm along with the needle, perhaps a little more roughly than she needed to. The sharp pain made Lena flinch, the handcuffs jangling with the sudden movement. Her eyes quickly averted themselves out of reflex, and she worried her lower lip with her teeth.

"Can I please see her? I... I want to see her...." It was barely a whisper with no strength. Angela felt broken as she spoke. Her resolve to be objective and treat this woman like a potential threat began to crumble at the sight of Lena's double pleading  with her. Her mind screamed that this woman in front of her was indeed a dangerous criminal, at least in another timeline, and that removing her restraints would be a mistake. Her darkened hair and blood red eyes sent a shudder up the doctor’s spine. Her heart protested that this girl was still Lena Oxton, however warped and different she may be.

The door opened with a soft hiss and Angela turned to look at Tracer as she wandered in. She was dressed casually, just a pair of loose black sweats and a grey tank, and of course the ever present accelerator slung over her shoulder along with a backpack. She nodded to Angela, but it looked tense and rehearsed, like they had fought and weren't on speaking terms yet. When she looked at her double and noticed that she was looking back with a tiny, relieved smile on her face, her eyes changed completely. They went from dull and frustrated to bright with surprise and excitement as she more or less bounced the rest of the way to the bed.

" _Oh my god_ you’re actually awake! It’s been so long luv!” She slung off the accelerator and scooped the identical Brit up into a tight hug, ignoring Angela quietly voicing her protest.

“You’ve been out for almost three weeks! We were starting to think you were never gonna wake up!” Lena groaned, falling back onto the bed as soon as she was released.

"I woulda taken you home with me if Angie wasn't being a right prick." She continued as she set the backpack down on the foot of the bed and opened it, rummaging around. Lena took the brief opportunity to look her double over, checking for injuries, anything that she may have missed. She appeared to be uninjured, to Lena's relief.

"Angie I told you to take these bloody things off! She ain't a prisoner!" Tracer complained as she set the clothing she had retrieved onto the bed and she gestured to the handcuffs with a disapproving scowl. It must be what they had been arguing about.

"She is a potential security risk, Lena, and I will not have her escaping because you trusted her too easily. Unless you are removing her from the watchpoint the handcuffs will remain on." Angela replied from her desk, scrolling through something on her tablet. She seemed utterly disinterested in her patient. Tracer huffed and Lena looked down at her hands uncomfortably as her double strode over to the doctor.

"Lucky for you that's _exactly_ why I'm here. She's comin' home with me today." She didn't ask, she stated it. Angela didn't seem to have the energy to argue, and she sighed, before opening one of her desk drawers and handing over a small key.

"Go on then, Lena. Take her, but on _your_ head be the consequences."

Tracer unlocked the handcuffs and helped Lena sit up, her hands warm on her bare forearms as she held her up. "You okay? You're bleedin' a little...." Her hand slid down to the other brunette's elbow and she carefully wiped the drops of blood that had gathered where the IV had been removed. When she decided the damage wasn't serious she grabbed the clothing she had brought and offered it to her double with an encouraging smile.

"Here, it's cold outside and the last thing we need is you catchin' a cold. S'just one of Em's sweaters. It's a bit big but it'll do the job." She helped Lena pull it over her head, helping the other brunette stand up, slip on the shoes that had been left by the bed, and helping her keep her balance when she softly asked to lean on her. With Tracer's arm around her waist she felt a lot more confident in her ability to walk. Her legs felt like jello, and she stumbled as Tracer began to walk her out of the room.

"Winston will send her equipment to London when he finishes it. Keep her close to you until then, since I doubt you want her being ripped out of this timeline." Angela called as they stepped out, and Lena quickly noticed that she had no accelerator attached to her anchor, which was currently buried under the bandages wrapped around her chest. "I know Ange, don't need to shout." Tracer yelled back as the door closed, her grip on Lena's waist tightening slightly as she added under her breath, "Don't let her get you worked up. My accelerator will keep us both grounded even if that fancy gadget in your chest doesn't."

Lena nodded, already feeling exhausted despite having only just started walking. Her muscles must not be used to supporting her just yet. Her uneven breaths filled the silence for a few minutes as they made slow but steady progress, and she let Tracer guide her through the largely unfamiliar building. If there was one person she knew without a doubt she could trust it was her double.

"I can get us to London and Athena'll bring the ship back before anyone notices." Tracer finally broke the silence as she pushed her way through a double door and guided Lena into what appeared to be a sizeable aircraft hangar. It looked like it could easily hold a dozen large aircraft, and it probably did when Overwatch was in its prime. Now, however, there were only two large drop ships and a smaller aircraft near the doors that was open and idling. Tracer patiently helped her double up into the aircraft, reassuring her that she would be okay and that she would just be in the cockpit a few feet away. "I'll open the door once we're airborne so you can see me okay? Just get yourself buckled in and relax. You can even sleep if you want to."

Lena remembered enough about flying to properly strap herself in at least, and she leaned back in the seat with a soft huff, her eyes fluttering shut as the craft powered up and began to taxi towards the open hangar door. Her mind began to drift, only to jolt back to reality as the speakers in the ceiling crackled, and Tracer's cheery voice startled her out of her attempts to relax.

"'Ello and welcome aboard Air Oxton! Today we're makin' a little jump to London, so sit back and enjoy the ride!" Lena huffed a weak laugh at her double, and by the time they were in the air she had managed to somewhat relax, instead of gripping the seat anxiously the whole ride. Her mind began to drift again once the door to the cockpit was open and she could see Tracer and hear whatever music she was listening to. It wasn't anything loud or energetic, and it soothed Lena's racing mind until she was more asleep than awake, only stirring when they hit the occasional turbulence or Tracer asked if she was doing okay. She barely felt when the craft landed and only dimly registered being unstrapped and gingerly lifted off of the seat before she dropped off completely. She woke a few minutes later when Tracer gently shook her, saying something about it only being a few more blocks, and that she was heavier than she looked. She nodded blearily and her double set her on her feet, supporting her until she could balance well enough. Lena still leaned on her as they walked, shivering in the cold. She was, after all, wearing only a borrowed sweater, a plain shirt and pants, nowhere near enough to keep the cold out. She had to find out what the date was. Tracer hummed apologetically as she wrapped an arm back around Lena's waist to support her as they walked.

"Em'll know how to get ya warmed right up! Can’t wait till she sees you!” She chirped as she guided her twin into the entrance to an old looking but well kept apartment complex and held the door open for her. The air immediately grew warmer when Tracer shut the door, and Lena hunched over, hugging herself and trying to warm up as she shook her head a few times to dislodge any clinging snowflakes. When her double began to head further into the building she mutely followed Tracer through a door and up a flight of stairs, not having it in her to express her exhaustion. She felt guilty, receiving all of this help when she had almost failed to save the woman in front of her. Why did she bother? More importantly, why was she showing Lena where she lived, and putting her in the same room as her girlfriend? Lena would never hurt anyone if she could help it, not anymore, but the amount of faith her double was putting in her was incredible.

Lena almost bumped into her twin as she stopped and pulled out her keys, and she knocked, for some reason, before she unlocked the door and pushed it open. The door swung open with a slight squeak and Tracer ushered Lena in first. It was a cozy apartment from what Lena saw, not too big but not too small either. It was very welcoming, and not at all frightening or claustraphobic. Several framed pictures were hung on the cream coloured walls near the door, and upon further inspection Lena spotted Winston and a few other Overwatch members smiling back at her as they posed for a picture. Some were cute. Others were formal. Some were downright silly with everyone in them making faces or giving each other bunny ears. Tracer sure had a lot of friends here. The only friend Lena remembered having was a woman who wouldn’t reveal her name, but seemed to sympathize with the way Lena had been treated in Talon. Making an effort to remember jogged the memory of bright violet eyes and candy skulls.

“M’home Em!” Tracer chirped after she held the door open for Lena, and showed her where to put her shoes. Lena nodded and crouched to tuck them away as Tracer skipped to meet the redheaded woman padding into the entryway. From her affectionate greeting, and kissing, this was her girlfriend. Lena hunched her shoulders and finished putting her shoes away, before she slowly stood up, shoving her hands in her pockets and looking pointedly at the floor as they greeted each other. It was not for her. She didn’t get to observe or enjoy things like this. She likely never would. She knew it was impolite to stare, as much as she wanted to see this woman who made her double so happy.

When the woman finally noticed Lena standing like an awkward duckling in the entrance, wrapped in her slightly-too-big sweater, wringing her hands anxiously and looking literally anywhere but her, she carefully approached, glancing back at Tracer before raising her pale hands to tentatively touch. When Lena flinched but didn't retreat Emily gently put her hands on her forearms, not holding her or grabbing, just letting them rest against the brunette softly as she inspected her.

“Wow...” Lena felt a hand move to her shoulder, and she tensed reflexively as the other slid under her chin, the comforting warmth of her hand drowned out by the sirens going off in her head. Whenever anyone touched her so intimately it meant they were either trying to intimidate her, or about to hit her. When the hand under her chin guided her head up she put up very little resistance, and she reluctantly lifted her gaze to meet Emily’s leafy green eyes with a mixture of uncertainty and fear while biting her lip anxiously. The redhead looked her over for a brief minute with deep green eyes and a gentle smile that only spoke of warmth and softness, before she gave the brunette’s shoulder a gentle squeeze and let the other hand drop.

“Don’t be scared love, no one is going to hurt you. You're safe and more than welcome here. Let’s get some food into you, maybe a drink or two if you want, then we can get you settled in.” She smiled a genuine, welcoming smile and for a moment Lena forgot how to breathe. She could see why her double was so smitten. Tracer leaned against the wall and smirked as Emily greeted their guest. She was completely at ease despite Lena's visible reaction to being touched. She hadn't moved to separate them despite the obvious warning signs, another demonstration of just how much she trusted her double.

“That’s it? No freak out?” She said teasingly, as Emily began to pull the tired Brit towards the sitting room, only stopping because her girlfriend was blocking the hallway. “Sweetness, you’re a _time travelling lesbian_ with teleportation powers and the ability to rewind herself. Your best friend is a _gorilla from the moon_. The notion of there being alternate timelines and this sweet little thing being from one of them stopped seeming impossible years ago. Now move, I need to get this little one sitting and food in her. Scoot.” Emily responded with a smirk, giving her Lena a firm swat on the hip to get her out of the hallway. She ignored the yelp as she guided Lena past her, into a cosy looking sitting room, giving her shoulders a gentle squeeze as she sat Lena down and gave her one last reassuring smile before she made her way back to the kitchen. Lena watched her go with a mixture of confusion and shock. No one had ever treated her so kindly before. She was only ever shown kindness, or something disguised as it, before she was hit or punished for failing an assignment or simply for existing. She shook herself as Tracer plopped down on the other end of the couch, and her body quickly reminded her of her fatigue in the form of a wave of dizziness. She barely had time to lower herself onto the couch before her exhaustion got the better of her.

She could hear the couple talking as she dozed, discussing what they were going to do now that they had a third occupant in their home, and she roused briefly when Tracer grabbed a blanket that had been draped over the back of the couch and carefully covered Lena with it. Lena merely made a soft sound and curled further into herself, taking full advantage of the warmth and security to rest.

"You're so thin, poor thing.”

Lena woke slowly to the realization that she was lying on someone’s lap, and that someone was gently carding their fingers through her hair, slowing occasionally to scratch lightly at her scalp. She hadn't even noticed Emily moving her, which was quite the feat for someone with no training in stealth. In any other situation she would have panicked in response to the close proximity but she was too exhausted to move. Besides, she justified to herself as Emily began to lightly scratch at the base of her skull, making her toes curl contentedly, it felt amazing. She groaned softly and stretched, turning her head as she cracked her eyes open. Emily didn’t stop stroking her hair as she smiled down at her, her hands continuing to gently scratch and soothe. Lena could hear a shower running nearby and soft humming. She could hear the television on low volume. It was so soothing it was almost surreal. She let her eyes slip shut again as Emily found a particularly pleasing spot to scratch. She was close to drifting off again, but she managed to catch Emily asking her a question, forcing her eyes open again as the redhead smiled apologetically and asked again.

“Think you’re up for some food, sweet? I'd have let you sleep more but you're so thin I would prefer to see you eat first." She said gently, helping Lena to sit up as she tried to shake off the sleep that was still clinging to the edges of her mind. She managed a nod and a weak smile, which felt odd and a bit silly. She wasn’t used to smiling, not the way she saw Tracer constantly doing. She rarely had a reason or even permission to smile or laugh. Emily got up and trotted off to what Lena assumed to be the kitchen, leaving her to collect herself after her unplanned nap. The clock read 7:45 so she had only been asleep for about an hour. Still she felt much better.

"Here you go pet, let's see if you can manage this before we get you to bed." Emily said as she set a small plate of scrambled eggs and toast in front of the brunette, who perked up slightly at the smell. One thing she quickly learned was that Emily was the one who cooked. And she cooked _well._ She watched with a smug smile as Lena ate, encouraging her to eat as much as she could. When she was sure Lena was done and sated she took her plate and resumed running her fingers through her hair, pulling the Brit to lean comfortably against her. She was warm and she smelled nice, and Lena found herself melting into her like putty. Tracer emerged from their room in slacks and a loose t shirt, carrying her accelerator in one hand. She set it on a port that was plugged into the wall, which most likely served as a charger. As much as she enjoyed her current position it reminded Lena of her own device, or lack thereof, and she sat bolt upright, one hand flying to her chest with a panicked gasp. Of course it wasn’t there, she knew full well that it was gone, but even as she tried to tell herself that she was alright and that she didn't need it the tremors started.

“ _My_ -!” She only got one word out before Emily pulled her back down and wrapped her in an unbreakable hug. Her feeble struggles quickly faded as she gasped and shuddered. Emily's arms tightened around her as she clutched at her chest and gripped the fabric of the borrowed sweater like she was having a heart attack. Maybe it felt like she was.

“Shhh, it's okay sweet, yours was damaged so Winston is looking at it. The one we have is keeping you both grounded and you have your own anchor so you don’t have to worry. Just relax, you aren’t going anywhere.” Emily murmured, carding her fingers through dark brown hair and sharing a worried look with her girlfriend when the gasping didn’t die off. Lena probably didn’t even hear her. If Lena was anything like her double, once she got in a panic she was in her own world until it subsided or she passed out. Tracer sat down and rested a hand on her double’s back, feeling her heaving for breath. Her eyes were wide but blank, not seeing anything as she grasped fistfuls of Emily’s shirt and held on for dear life. She knew Emily hated when she had these episodes, it was obvious why, but seeing it herself made her appreciate her girlfriend even more. It was _horrifying_ to see her double so vulnerable and helpless against her own panic. When Lena finally relaxed, finally having succumbed to her exhaustion with a soft whimper, Emily didn’t move for a good while, holding onto her like a protective mother bear. She remembered Tracer’s first few years after they bought the apartment, when she still struggled to cope with the effects of the accident. Despite being safe and happy she would wake up screaming and flailing every other night for months and had to be held tightly until she calmed down. It had worked then, and hopefully it would be more effective in the future.

“Let’s get her to bed luv. She could use a full night’s rest.” Tracer murmured as she gently helped her off the couch, while Emily arranged the unconscious Brit in her arms. Tracer grabbed her accelerator and moved it to their bedroom’s port, which settled just where Lena would spend the night. The guest bedroom would just have to sit empty; its occupant needed company much more than privacy. She barely stirred when Emily set her down, only curling into a ball once Emily left to get changed and taking a lot of gentle coaxing to uncurl again so she could be properly cuddled. Emily was usually the big spoon, so Tracer was glad to switch places so her girlfriend could keep a tight hold of her new precious. Any jealousy that may have bubbled up in her situation died promptly when Tracer stepped out of the bathroom, toothbrush still stuck in her mouth, and found her girlfriend running a hand through Lena's messy hair and softly crooning an Irish lullaby to the sleeping brunette. Her chest only filled with even more adoration for the redhead if that was even possible as she sauntered back into the bathroom to finish brushing her teeth. Tracer knew how protective Emily could be, she had been the focus of it before and she knew Lena would be the safest woman in the Row while she was living with them. Emily was the sweetest girl Lena had ever met, but when she got into one of her protective moods she was a force of nature. She carefully drew the blanket up and over her girlfriend and her double, before she slipped under the covers and wrapped herself around the both of them like a tiny British octopus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first of hopefully many longer chapters with a lot more dialogue and less exposition. Comments and suggestions are much appreciated!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A short interlude. Important discussions are had. Breakfast is ordered. Cuddles are had.

Lena couldn’t remember the last time she felt so rested. She woke before the other two women currently occupying the slightly overcrowded bed, and she had to take a moment to figure out where she was, before she felt Tracer moving. She popped her head over Emily’s shoulder and very quickly explained, “Before ya remember and panic again, my accelerator is keeping us both grounded till Winston fixes yours or makes you a new one.” Her eyes were still shut, and her head dropped against Emily’s shoulder when she finished talking. It was a relief to know, and Lena relaxed again with a small huff, her eyes dropping shut again. “G’mornin to you too...” Tracer mumbled, her grip on the both of them tightening as she nuzzled her nose into Emily’s hair and tried to go back to sleep. The redhead remained oblivious, and steadfastly asleep. Lena made small talk with her double for a while, discussing anything from when the accelerator might be ready, to what they were going to have for breakfast, even touching on what they were going to do about names.

“I mean it isn’t so bad having two of us, it’ll just be awkward when someone calls for one of us and we both reply.” Tracer said as she absentmindedly twirled a lock of Emily’s hair between her fingers. Lena nodded. She had been thinking about that since she showed up in this timeline. “I just used my middle name when I tried to join up here. It worked well enough. But it’s also a reminder of what happened now so...” Tracer nodded against her girlfriend’s shoulder. “Don’t got one myself but I like yours.”

Lena’s middle name was Cerys, and she had responded to it well enough in her short time in Overwatch. Reinhardt had pronounced it perfectly, as did Ana and Angela, while everyone else had simply called her Sarah, much to her exasperation. Tracer had simply called her “Speedy” or “Legs” in passing.

“Still gonna call ya Legs though.” The other Brit mumbled, which got a small giggle out of her twin, and the sound was enough to finally rouse the redhead sandwiched between them. Emily let out a soft hum as she nuzzled her nose deeper into Lena’s hair, before reluctantly cracking one eye open.

“ _Oof_.... g’mornin lovelies, nice to see you two talking like normal people.” She mumbled, before she slowly started to sit up.

“Gotta get up to make breakfast you two, gotta let go.” She said a few moments later when both brunettes kept their arms wrapped around her like koalas. Tracer groaned and tightened her grip. “Why ya gotta go... s’warm and we can just order from that nifty brekky hub down the street....” she whined, wrapping her legs around the redhead and tightening her arms around her waist in an attempt to trap her.

Emily rolled her eyes, still trying to get up with limited success. “We order too much already you lazy lump, and get off.” She managed to free herself from her girlfriend, by more or less shoving her off the bed, and she turned to unlatch the second Brit before she paused. The moment Lena felt her source of warmth trying to leave, she panicked. She was more than used to having things given to her, only to be taken away, but having spent a whole night wrapped up in such comfort made her all the more desperate to cling on. As she gently pried the brunette’s arms from around her waist, she heard a tiny sniffle, muffled against the fabric of her nightshirt as Lena tightened her grip and started trembling.

“Oh my god, Lena, darling are you _crying_?”

Emily’s voice softened and she allowed the tiny twig of a girl huddle close to her again, one hand reaching to pull the covers back up while the other buried itself in spiky brown hair and began to gently tease and lightly scratch. Tracer had already bounced off, probably to order their food while Emily was trapped. She could scold her later, once she was sure Lena was alright. The quiet whimpering had died away but she remained tense, gripping Emily’s nightshirt for dear life. It took some doing, but after a good deal of gentle encouragement and some time, Lena relaxed again, turning her tired eyes to look at Emily as she calmed her breathing. Her eyes were a bit puffy but she looked to be alright.

“It’s going to be okay, love. I promise I won’t leave you. Even if I got up I’d come back. You won’t be alone ever again, I promise.” Emily crooned as she used her thumb to wipe a few remaining tears from the brunette’s face, before she leaned in and gently pressed her lips to her forehead. Lena made a quiet noise and leaned into the contact, nodding slightly as she curled into the redhead’s chest with a sniffle. The occasional small tremor ran through her tiny body now and then, but this was nowhere near as bad as the night before and she was relaxing at record speed. When Emily began running her fingers through soft brown spikes and rubbing small circles against pale shoulder blades it was all it took to drop Lena right back off to sleep, and she was quickly reduced to a spiky haired, snoring tangle of limbs. Emily chuckled and pressed another kiss to her temple, tightening her grip until Lena was impossibly smooshed into her, still snoring.

“ **Back**!” Tracer crowed mid air as she flew back through the doorway and landed on her side of the bed, gluing herself back to Emily and nuzzling her face into the back of her neck with a contented hum. Emily couldn’t shoot her a disapproving glare from her position so she settled for elbowing blindly behind her, feeling the blow connect to her girlfriend’s stomach and hearing her wheeze. “ _Msorryyyyyy_ …” came the plaintive whine as Tracer rested her head on her shoulder, pressing an apologetic kiss to her cheek. “Last order in for a while I promise.” She murmured as Emily continued to stroke Lena’s dark brown hair and rub her back. “Been thinking.” Tracer said, as she watched with a contented smile. “Since we’re both the same person, maybe we can all think up a name for her so we don’t have to call ‘er Tracer when I’m around.”

She had a point. Emily nodded absently, before she gave Lena a gentle shake. “She gets a say too. Wake up sweet, let’s have a chat.” She murmured as Lena let out a soft whine of protest, but slowly opened her eyes again, and looked up at the two women dopily. “We were just talking about one of you having your own name, and one of you going by something else. Just to tell you apart.” Emily said gently, getting a slow nod from Lena as she fought to stay awake.

“I’m gonna stay as Lena, thanks.” Tracer grumbled. Emily sighed and nodded, having to agree with her girlfriend. She was, after all, here first. “I’m sure there’s a name that fits you, we just need to think on it.” Emily murmured as Lena finally found it in her to sit up, shaking the last remnants of sleep away and stretching. She rubbed her eyes before she organized herself into a cross legged position and pivoting to face the other two women as she tried to tame her bedhead into something a little less hedgehog-y. “I don’t wanna use my middle name. It’s a bad reminder of what happened before.” She said softly, as she managed to fix her hair into something resembling her usual look, dropping her hands into her lap where she began to fidget. “Agreed. But we do need a proper name for you.” Tracer groaned, that option was ticked off the list.

“We could go with something that characterizes you. A part of you that’s different from me.” She piped up again after a full few minutes of thinking. Lena only nodded softly, her brow knit as she tried to conjure something that she could call herself that still meant her. She was very different from Tracer, she was paler, thinner, and her personality was the polar opposite of the spunky, outgoing brit. She had darker hair, almost black, and her eyes were an unnatural bright ruby red. She shuddered inwardly when she remembered waking up after what was supposed to be a simple reconditioning surgery to find her brown eyes replaced with cybernetic one that gave her excellent vision as well as the ability to see heat and in the dark.

But…. maybe it was time to move past her feelings of self hatred and start trying to see the _positives_ in her enhancements.

“Maybe something to do with my eyes? They’re kind of hard to miss.” She said, more to herself than to Tracer, so she was a bit startled when she responded enthusiastically, “Yeah! I like that idea, got some bloody gorgeous-oops. no pun intended.” She cut herself off and groaned in embarrassment as Emily gave her another elbow to the gut, this time well deserved.

“Still, I agree with Lena, you have some stunning eyes, however different they are.”

They were interrupted by the sound of a loud knock at the front door, and Lena tensed for a moment before Emily sighed and sat up. “That’d be the food. You two keep on brainstorming and I’ll get breakfast sorted and be right back.” She finished with a quick peck to Lena’s messy hair before she untangled herself from the sheets and disappeared down the hall, grabbing a housecoat as she strode out. Tracer pushed herself up as well, imitating Lena’s cross legged position and trying to fix her own chaotic bed head as she spoke. “Maybe something that isn’t related to negative memories. Something soft and sweet. Cmon, let’s think.” Her brow was knitted now as well as she racked her tired brain for a suitable, and acceptable name for her twin.

“Ruby? Nah, sounds like a pet name.... hmmmmm..... _Roselyn_! One of my old classmates was named Rosalyn!”

Lena blinked and thought about it, before shaking her head. It had a nice ring to it but it didn't sound right. “I like it but.... it isn’t me.” She sighed and rested her head on her hand.

“Ok, um, how about we shorten that? Maybe Rosa?” Tracer suggested as her attention began to drift to the sound of Emily in the kitchen, muttering to herself something about useless lesbians and stupid puppy eyes. Lena shook her head again, “I really like it but....” her expression was utterly helpless. “No worries luv, it’s a big thing to choose a name. Bet our folks struggled too.” Tracer was quick to comfort her, scooting closer to sit with their knees touching.

“So you want something close to that?” She crossed her arms and Lena was honestly worried that her head might explode if she thought any harder. She wasn't even sure if Tracer noticed her nodding in response to the question  

“ **I GOT IT!!!** ”

Lena squeaked and fell backwards off the bed when Tracer suddenly shouted, throwing her arms up and grinning victoriously. Her grin quickly turned sheepish when Lena’s head popped up from behind the bed, fixing her with a pathetic glare as she rubbed the back of her head and slowly clambered back onto the bed.

“Uh, heh. Sorry ‘bout that.” Tracer said apologetically, as Lena sat, this time a safe distance away from her double, still glowering at her.

“A-anyway, I got it! Let’s call you Rose!” Tracer clapped her hands twice with excitement as Lena seemed to ponder the name, and her scowl slowly lifted into a soft, shy smile. “I like it....” she said timidly as Lena leaned forward to yank her into a tight hug, laughing when she got an undignified and disgruntled groan from the other brunette.

Emily stopped in the doorway, she herself laughing at the sight of Lena grabbing Rose’s face and smooshing it affectionately while Rose tried desperately not to laugh and failed spectacularly. “Food’s ready sweets, and I’m guessing you two managed to brainstorm up a new name then?” Her smile widened when Lena nodded vigorously, and Rose tried to wriggle away with little success.

“Rose, then? I think it suits you _perfectly_ , darling.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, if anyone finds this chapter awkward or stiff the feeling is mutual. I spent days agonizing over adding this chapter because it felt off in a way. I just needed to give our ladies an opportunity to have some important discussions so that was the whole point of this chapter. 
> 
>  
> 
> Also, Rose will be referred to as such from here on out, and Tracer is finally Lena again, huzzah!
> 
> As always, comments are appreciated, let me know how I could improve my writing! Things will be slowing down to a two week schedule from here, the next few chapters are going to need complete overhauls to match up with the additions I have made to the current four parts.


	5. Enjoy the Quiet While it Lasts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Lena heads back to Overwatch Emily tries to take Rose out shopping. Put a twitchy former terrorist in a huge crowd of people! What could possibly go wrong? She totally won't stab everyone in a ten meter radius UWU
> 
> Mild trigger warning, Rose DOES have severe PTSD and it will start becoming apparent from here on out. I'm not sure if the instances in this chapter would upset anyone but if they do I sincerely apologize.

When Lena left to resume her duties with Overwatch the apartment got noticeably quieter. For Emily there was little to no change in her schedule, she went to work, came home in the early evening, and depending on what errands she had to run she either cooked supper herself, ordered takeout when she was low on groceries or let Rose make suggestions. If she managed to get the girl to talk that is. Rose had always been very quiet, but Emily hadn’t noticed it with her girlfriend more than making up for it. Rose kept to herself a lot, either sitting on the couch in a ball or remaining in her room. The word _broken_ was rather harsh but it was an accurate description. She was far from the bouncing, energetic girl Emily had fallen in love with. She was almost the polar opposite, more resembling how Lena described herself when she was first rescued after the Slipstream. She hugged her new accelerator to her body the moment it arrived at their door and more often than not panicked if she lost sight of it for even a moment. She startled so easily that Emily considered several times the idea of wearing a bell around one wrist so she didn’t accidentally sneak up on Rose and make her accidentally blink into a doorframe or wall. She hid so much that Emily often had to make sure she hadn’t simply vanished out a window. She carried herself like a mouse that was constantly being stalked. She acted like she was an annoyance at _best_ and a burden at _most_ , and she avoided getting in Emily’s way like her life depended on it, at least for the first few weeks. Like she was afraid of taking up too much space. Emily knew it likely had something to do with how she was treated in her own timeline, though Rose refused to provide any details, clamming up and shutting down whenever she was asked.

“Rose...” Emily called quietly, as she returned from a late afternoon shopping trip to restock the fridge for the following week. She heard the soft padding of bare feet as she set down her bags and took off her sweater to hang up. Rose always came when called, this time having apparently been asleep. She was still drowsy as she finished strapping on her accelerator, rubbing her eyes and yawning, but she wasted no time grabbing several of the grocery bags and starting to put things away. Quiet, but amazingly helpful. Emily didn’t know when exactly Rose began to help put groceries away, she just appreciated the helping hand when Lena wasn’t home. Rose rarely spoke during the chore, unless spoken to first, and Emily had not succeeded in having a proper conversation with her yet, despite her best efforts. It was clear that her road to recovering and living as normal a life she could was going to be a long and difficult one. She still flinched when the two lovers tried to approach or hug her, and she was painfully submissive, never speaking up or asking for anything, not even when she was desperate, which Emily had been helping her with ever since she nearly passed out from dehydration on her fourth day with them. Emily sighed as she watched the girl, before she put down the jar of peanut butter she had been about to put away. She slid behind the brunette and wrapped her arms around her shoulders, burying her face in her unruly hair and sighing again. Rose stilled, making a soft questioning noise. Her reactions to being approached from behind were one thing Emily could tell -with no small amount of pride- had greatly improved since she arrived. While Lena has assured Rose that she didn’t blame her for almost breaking her nose it was abundantly clear in the first few days that sneaking up on her was a very bad idea. Since Lena left however Rose had come to accept that she had to trust Emily and grew used to her being the only other soul in the home. Emily was able to hug her from behind for the first time a week ago and it had become something of a tradition now that Rose was used to the gesture.

“S'nice to have you around when my other sweet is off saving the world. Get so lonely sometimes....” Emily mumbled, feeling the brunette’s slim fingers resting around her arms lightly as she leaned ever so slightly back into the embrace. Getting Rose to understand that their affection didn’t include any threats had been a whole different kind of battle. “She knows.” Rose said softly, her eyes drifting to the rest of the unpacked groceries as she made a feeble attempt to free herself and finish putting things away. She had quickly shown that she hated leaving tasks unfinished. Like her double, Rose was fond of lists both written and mentally prepared, and the brunette was even more fond of completing them. Unlike Lena however Rose’s desire bordered on completion anxiety. While Emily was usually content to let the smaller woman do what she wanted and avoid any possible distress, she had been going a little batty spending most of her time indoors and she knew Rose felt the same way to an extent, even if she insisted she didn’t feel safe leaving the apartment.

“After this do you want to go out shopping? Maybe get some lunch? You’ve been cooped up in here for over a month, you must be going stir crazy.” Emily murmured as she finally released the brunette to let her keep packing away the last of the groceries. She seemed more relaxed and approachable when she was busy. She only fidgeted and deflected conversation when she had to sit still. Having something to keep her hands busy was a good way to get her talking.

Rose’s shoulders visibly tensed and she made an uncertain sound as she set the last of the groceries away and closed the fridge. When she finally turned back to Emily the anxiety was plainly written on her face, her brow furrowed as she worried her lower lip between her teeth. She shifted her weight onto one leg and lightly dug her nails into her arm, a nervous habit she had so far failed to kick even with help. As sad as it was to see Rose worried over something so simple, she was adorable. “We’ll just dress you up like Lena and no one will know the difference!” Emily reassured her, as she turned and padded down the hall to her and Lena’s bedroom. Rose hesitated before following, and she hovered at the door, pulling at the hem of her too-large nightshirt and watching the redhead search through her closet until she produced a slightly worn out RAF jacket with a grin of triumph.

“She has at least twenty of these, and she always wears them out so you need it.”She explained as she handed it over, letting Rose unbuckle the upper straps of her harness to slip it on, before slipping the accelerator over it. She really needed new clothes. The few shirts she had borrowed weren’t going to last long, especially now that they had to cut a hole in the front to allow the new accelerator to fasten to the rim of her anchor. “The accelerator might get us a few looks, especially with it being red and not blue but we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. You can borrow some of Lena’s sunglasses too.”

———————————————————-

 _Rose regretted this decision_. And she was only three steps out of the apartment complex. She never felt safe in crowds and it was certainly crowded outside. Emily had mentioned there being some kind of convention or concert in town, which explained all of the people. There was barely room to stand and moving was a slow and difficult process. Emily slipped her hand into Rose’s early on, sensing her discomfort, and squeezed her hand reassuringly when the brunette gripped onto it for dear life. Every person that walked too close or looked at them funny made her flinch, and she had to force down the urge to attack the many people who bumped into her as they tried to navigate the packed street. Her hand was shaking but she didn’t ask to go home, instead staying as close to Emily as humanly possible, and gratefully following her into the first store on the redhead’s list.

The deafening noise cut out the moment the door closed, and Rose felt some of the tension leave her body as Emily pulled her towards the back. There were only a few people in the store and a rather weathered looking omnic was hovering behind the counter, greeting them with a gentle hum as they passed by.

“Come on, Lena gets pretty much everything she wears here.” Emily explained as she began exploring the racks of clothing and pulling several things off to show the brunette. Rose had been looking around the store in a mixture of anxiety and curiosity.

“Take a look around, see if anything catches your eye.”

Rose blinked at Emily a few times, before seeming to suddenly realize she couldn’t do anything while she was hugging the redhead’s arm, and reluctantly released her to take a few small steps towards the nearest clothing rack. The display consisted of mostly plain t shirts that were either black or dark grey. Nothing too loud or flashy. The fabric was soft when she lifted one of the shirts off of the hanger, and she became momentarily distracted by the unfamiliar texture between her fingers. She knew enough about clothes shopping to drape the shirt over her arm before turning to scan the store for Emily. She was still nearby, looking at something several feet away with her back turned.

Rose wasn’t comfortable, not by a long shot, but for Emily’s sake she shoved as much of her anxiety down as she could, and she pressed onward, eventually accumulating several more shirts and a few leggings, which she discovered she enjoyed more when they were covered in chaotic patterns or had vulgar words on them. If she had to compare the feeling of satisfaction that washed over her when she picked out some particularly loud leggings, it would be to the feeling of guilty pleasure.

Emily had moved a little further away when Rose decided she was finished, still in view but far enough away that Rose broke into an anxious trot to close the distance. All of the concerns for her own well-being she has stifled were simply replaced by concerns for Emily’s safety, which only subsided once she was next to her again.

“Done already Rose? What did you pick out?” The redhead inquired and Rose quietly held out her armful of clothing for Emily to inspect.

“Even _you_ have more fashion sense than Lena, god she really _is_ a train wreck.” Emily mused as she looked at each shirt, her expression one of both amusement and mild mortification. The amusement fully took over when she hit the leggings Rose had self-consciously hidden under the shirts. “Oh my god these are _adorable_. I love them!” Her smile only widened with each revealed pair of tight fitting leggings with garish designs or obscenities printed all over them. “Let’s go try them on, I want to see how cute you look in these.”

Rose worried her lip between her teeth for a moment, shifting from one foot to the other uncomfortably at the request but ultimately nodded. Her anxiety levels were not so high that she wasn’t willing to try.

“Great! Let’s go.”

Rose _hated_ changing rooms. They were little death boxes. The moment she stepped into changing room 3 nearly all of the alarm bells in her head began ringing cacophonously. It was too small, there was no room to maneuver, she couldn’t protect herself in this limited space. She stopped dead in the doorway and immediately tried to backpedal right back out of the enclosed space again, running into Emily in her haste to get out. Her blood was racing and her chest felt tight just looking at the tiny room. When Emily spoke she only dimly registered it, before she realized the redhead’s arms were around her waist and she was murmuring comforting words to her.

“Deep breaths sweet, in and out. It’s just a room, and you don’t need to go in there if you feel unsafe. Come back to me Rose, I’m right here.”

The panic began to fade, only to be replaced by humiliation and guilt, making her eyes sting as she tore her eyes away from the changing room and tried to swallow the sob welling in her throat.

“Want me to look for a bigger room, if this one’s making you worried?”

God bless this woman. Rose nodded and let out an unsteady sigh of relief when Emily closed the door and she didn't have to look inside anymore. She hugged the clothing in her arms to her chest as Emily moved towards the further changing rooms, trying to do as Emily instructed and breathe deeply. Her chest still felt tight, and her blood was roaring in her ears along with all the life threatening scenarios her mind was spinning even as she told herself that she was safe.

“This one’s bigger, Rose. Want to try this one?” Emily called to her from the end of the hall, holding another door open and beckoning to her when she hesitated. The hallway felt abnormally long when she finally started walking, still clutching her armful of clothes tightly to her chest. When she reached Emily and peered inside the room she relaxed visibly, tension bleeding out of her shoulders at the sight of the much larger room.

“Want me to come in with you?”

Rose didn’t even wait for her to finish before nodding. If she lost sight of the redhead for even a moment at this point she would panic.

———————————————————-

“You look great sweet, Lena’s going to be so jealous.” Emily giggled as Rose fidgeted, tugging at the hem of her new shirt as she waited for the redhead to finish ordering their lunch. She had been practically vibrating with her need to get out of the clothing store by the time Emily had made their purchases, including a small backpack that now held Rose’s accelerator. She had reluctantly agreed to wear one of her new shirts to replace the rapidly deteriorating one she had borrowed, and until they could properly modify it she couldn’t wear the accelerator. Rose didn’t like it at all, but her decision had been made for her when her attempt to take her old shirt off resulted in it tearing nearly in half.

Emily smiled at her sympathetically as she paid for their food, thanking the small woman behind the counter as she handed her one of the two orders she had made. The shop was not large, but Rose seemed more upset about the large windows facing the street than the amount of people or the lack of space.

“Almost done Rose I promise. After this we only have the rental place to run to, then straight home.” Emily reassured her when she looked at the door with near desperation. She gently squeezed Rose’s arm before moving to grab their food, swiftly returning and linking her arm with the brunette’s to stop her from _flying_ out the door.

“One more stop Rose. I promise you’ll be glad we did.”

Rose very much doubted that. Any store she went into at this point was danger. “But I....” her argument silenced itself before it finished, instead turning into a defeated, “...okay....” as she let Emily guide her back towards the apartment. It was a short walk and according to the redhead the rental store was on the way. A lot of the crowds had died down since they embarked and the journey to the store was far less stressful than the rest of the trip so far.

It turned out that rental movies had made a comeback of sorts a few years ago, for nostalgia's sake more than anything else. The tiny rental store Emily pulled her into was nestled between two run down apartment buildings in the shadier side of King’s Row, but it was well-kept and quite popular. The inside was mostly well lit with neatly labelled aisles that were only half stocked. Emily explained, “Quite the popular place, sweet, but people have to return them after a week.” as they wandered down the aisles. Rose swallowed thickly, gripping Emily’s arm for dear life. The shelves were just high enough that she couldn’t see over them. Red flag. She couldn’t see any security cameras. Red flag. Several of the lights were flickering and the back of the store was dark. Red flag. Rose could feel Emily squeezing her arm but it did little to quell the feeling of _nausea_ swirling in her stomach as she noticed more and more danger signs that she knew were just coincidence but agonized over regardless. Her throat felt _tight_. She almost didn’t hear Emily trying the same strategy she had used earlier, her feet were rooted to the spot and her breath came fast and shallow as she tried to plan their way out.

“Rose look at this. Have you seen this one before?” Emily said, raising her voice only slightly as she held up a DVD case she had grabbed off of the nearest shelf. Rose jolted out of her panic and looked at the case blankly for a few seconds, clearly struggling to pull herself out of her head long enough to grasp what Emily was trying to do. “It’s an adaptation of a book, but it’s really good! Want me to rent it for the week?” Emily continued, giving her shoulder another squeeze as Rose blinked slowly, one hand coming up to take the case and hold it so she could see it better. _Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone_. The title stirred something in the back of her mind. Something buried deep in her subconscious twinged and her mouth opened before she could stop it.

“Ew, _filthy muggles._ That's not what is called.” She didn’t even know why she said it or what the significance of the word was, but it must have been the right thing to say. Emily blinked at her for a moment, before she burst out laughing, doubling over and clutching her stomach while Rose continued to stare at the case like it held the secret to the meaning of life. Rose continued to stare at it intensely until Emily's laughter died away and she managed to walk the thoroughly spellbound brunette to the front of the store to rent the movie out.

———————————————————-

  
"I can get the rest of them if you want. We can watch one every night." Emily murmured as Rose leaned over to grab another slice of pizza, before settling back to unpause the movie. They were about a third of the way into, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" (Rose refused to call it by the American version because, "wizards and sorcerers are completely different and only a muggle would call it that!") Rose had been mostly silent throughout the movie so far, only letting out faint gasps and " _oh_!"'s when she saw something that she remembered and liked. She had been sitting when the movie started, but as it got later into the evening she began to have a hard time keeping her head up.

"Tired, pet?" Emily murmured as Rose's head jerked up again, her eyes at half mast as she reached blearily for another slice of pizza. " _M'fine_ , not tired..." came the soft but stubborn reply. Harry Potter had just made it into the final room with the mirror and damned if she wasn't going to finish the movie. "Come here, Rose, you're going to strain your neck if you keep snapping your head up like that." Emily reached over as Rose made a noncommittal noise, setting her half finished slice of pizza down and letting Emily pull her to rest on her shoulder. As Professor Quirrel unwrapped has turban Rose leaned on Emily harder, her eyes drooping as she watched the movie grow closer to its epic conclusion. The redhead wordlessly shifted, laying back on the couch with Rose's now mostly dead weight draped on top of her. Rose barely seemed to notice, too focussed on the movie and keeping herself conscious. If she was like the Lena Emily knew and -somehow- put up with, she would battle her way to the end, and then promptly pass out. Emily settled down and began running her fingers through Rose's dark brown, almost black hair, waiting to see if she would be right.

She was, of course, completely right. Emily stifled a yawn before she turned off the television, moving as little as possible to avoid waking the softly snoring tangle of pale skin, slender limbs and freckles draped over her stomach and chest. It had not been thirty seconds into the credits before Rose began snoring, her head nestled against Emily's chest and her hair messy from being tousled throughout the entire movie.

"Goodnight sweet." Emily murmured, only getting a soft mumble from Rose as she grabbed the wool blanket Lena always draped over the back of the couch for movie nights such as this. Emily would feel the consequences of sleeping on the couch in the morning, but if Rose got a good night's sleep, free from terror for once, it was a punishment she would _gladly_ endure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The official (hopefully) update schedule will be every Friday unless the chapter isn't done. 
> 
> This is the last of the original chapters, from here on out I need to completely rewrite so I won't be uploading until next Friday. The chapter for next Friday is finished but I have to warn you it's gonna be a bumpy ride. 
> 
> As always I love comments and would love to hear ideas or suggestions or feedback!


	6. When the Branch Breaks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get worse for Overwatch, but Rose suffers just as much. When a breaking point has nearly fatal results, Lena and Emily are faced with a difficult decision. 
> 
> Or
> 
> I crash the flaming feels train straight into AO3 a full five days early because I have no impulse control and zero regrets. 
> 
> Trigger warning:
> 
> I'm diving into the joys of writing a mentally fractured character now, and I'm sure that something in here will be upsetting to some people. Potential triggers include flashbacks of shock punishment, two PTSD related dissasociations of different levels of severity. And a very detailed description of what cardiac arrest feels like. You have been warned.

Rose jolted up from her spot on the couch when Emily let out a string of very uncharacteristic expletives, her brain defaulting to panic mode until she heard "Lena" , mixed in with the tirade of cursing. She had dimly registered a knock at the door and Emily going to answer it, but remained mostly asleep until Emily started swearing.

" _What the hell did you do!? What happened!?_ " Emily all but yelled as Lena limped through the doorway, her reply mostly inaudible. Rose had begun preparing for the worst the moment Emily raised her voice, but she still felt sick when Lena made it to the sitting room and leaned on the wall to catch her breath.

"S'not as bad as it looks Rosie." Lena said quietly as the blood drained from her double's face. Her entire right arm was covered in bandages, which were red in several places. Rose could see deep cuts in the metal of Lena's accelerator, which had been welded back together but the damage was obvious. Her jacket was missing and her formerly white t-shirt was stained with ash and blood and dirt and cut open on the left side, revealing sutures that ran from the bottom of her rib cage to just below her armpit. The skin around the stitches was mottled with deep purple bruising that ran up to her neck and jaw. Her lower lip was split and there was a cut over her left eye that had been taped shut.

"Lena you are _NOT_ okay! _What the hell did they make you do!? Why did they send you back looking like this!?_ " Emily's voice was shaking with a mixture of rage and heartbreak as Lena slowly lowered herself onto the couch next to Rose, hissing as she settled and tried to get comfortable.

"Nnn, was a mission in N-Num..... Numbani. Went sideways and h-had a _little_ accident." She mumbled as Rose hesitantly took her hand and stared at it, her expression hidden behind her dark brown hair. "Widow was there. Got into a bit of a tussle and.... I k-kinda sorta....." Her eyes unfocused for a moment as she frowned, " _Did I fall off a building_....?" Her breathing was steadily evening out, and despite Emily's best efforts to keep her awake her eyes slipped shut.

Rose hadn't moved since she sat down, but she was visibly trembling as she clutched Lena's hand to her chest. This wasn't her fault and she _knew_ that, but the guilt threatened to swallow her up regardless. Lena wasn't dying, but she was in terrible pain and had to walk from their drop-off site all the way back to the apartment _alone_. Anything could have happened to her. She was angry at Lena. because she should have called, and she was angry at _herself_ for not being there to help. Hot tears began to spill over and run down her cheeks as she choked on a sob, her shoulders racking as she tried to contain her distress.

"Rose...." Emily softly touched her shoulder, but she recoiled when the brunette jerked away like she had been burned, scrambling to perch on the far arm of the sofa and hugging herself. She didn't see Emily's face shift from gentle concern to devastation as she shut down and curled into herself, letting her guilt and grief and rage render her completely catatonic and unresponsive. She didn't feel it when her nails dug so hard into her arms that they broke the skin, or when she bit down on her lower lip so hard that it split and the taste of copper flooded her mouth. Her vision swam and dimmed, then went dark, taking all of the comforting sounds of the apartment with it.

She should have been there. She should have protected her. _She should have killed them all_. Her thoughts were a combination of deafening guilt and anger, and the cold, calculated part of her mind that insisted that this was indeed her fault.

_You failed. You didn't dispose of the threat when you had the chance and look what happened. Lena nearly died. This is **your** fault. Worthless. Weak. Stupid. Pathetic. This happened because of **you**._

She remembered dark, gravelly laughter and being torn apart by bellowing shotguns as Lena screamed in despair. A voice that once comforted her now gleefully tore her to pieces.

~

_A clawed hand resting on her head as she cried, gently ruffling her messy hair. The smell of shitty cigarettes and whiskey filling her nose as she lifted her head, blinking up at the dark skinned man crouching over her with a cloth in one hand._

_She had failed a mission. She had not eliminated her target. It would be years before the lawyer resurfaced and he would be a thorn in her handler's side once he delivered his testimony._

_"You'll do better next time kid. You'll figure it out."_

_He cleaned her split lip and the deep slice across her nose, holding her hair gently when she tried to flinch away. He mumbled about her getting stitches as soon as possible._

_"It wasn't your fault. They made it too hard for you, you weren't ready. But you will be." He murmured as he set the cloth down and gathered Rose's bruised body into his arms. He was warm and Rose's eyes slipped shut as he began walking towards the door. It was a cell, she had realized later on. Part of her punishment for failing._

_"You're gonna do great things kid. You're gonna make this shit planet a little better."_

_~_

She didn't remember losing her balance, but she came to with a pounding headache, lying on her side next to the couch and dizzy as she tried to lift her head. Emily had taken Lena to their bedroom at some point and was sitting next to Rose's head, one hand lightly petting her hair like she was afraid of breaking the brunette. A damp washcloth lay on the floor next to her, covered in red marks that Rose realized were _her_ blood. Her arms hurt where she had dug her nails in, and her lip stung. Her throat and mouth felt dry and her vision was black around the edges, but she was aware. She closed her eyes and tried to listen for the familiar sounds of the flat that made her feel safe. The clock on the shelf above the television ticked softly and cars hummed past on the street below. She could hear the AC unit making the small clicking noise it usually made when it was starting up. She could hear the nice old lady who lived in the flat below theirs humming to herself. It helped her gather herself just enough to try moving.

"...Em...?" She croaked softly, forcing her eyes open and turning her head to look up at the redhead as her head jerked up, and she let out a shaky breath in reply. She looked paler than normal. Emily sat back as Rose slowly pushed herself up, blinking as the room spun for a few seconds. Her mind was reeling in response to the memory that had been dredged up. She let Emily guide her to her feet, holding her up when she swayed and almost fell over again. The redhead's arms were comforting and Rose moved without resistance, her head hanging as a wave of exhaustion crashed over her. Emily eased the smaller woman onto the bed, where Lena was peacefully snoring. Rose whimpered when Emily moved away, but she didn't try to follow, instead rolling to look at her sleeping double when she felt Lena grasping the front of her nightshirt and trying to pull her closer.

".... 'Ello Rose, c'mere, I'm ok...." She mumbled, resting her uninjured cheek against the top of Rose's head and draping her arm over her shoulders as she pitched headfirst back into sleep. Rose nodded into Lena's neck, squeezing her eyes shut as the bed dipped behind her and she felt Emily press herself to her back, resting her chin on top of Rose's head and pressing a kiss to her messy hair.

"We'll all be having a talk tomorrow." She mumbled, probably more to herself than to either of her bed mates, as she slid an arm around both injured women and held them as tightly as the dared. Rose didn't nod, but the words echoed in her head. She didn't want to talk. Talking meant thinking and thinking meant remembering. Remembering meant _pain_. Despite also knowing that she had to tell them about herself sooner or later, part of her insisted she would just scare them off, and that notion terrified her.

It wasn't until the sky began to bleed reds and pinks and yellows that she finally managed to fall into a fitful sleep.

———————————————————-

“We need to talk.”

Those four words sent a chill down Rose’s spine no matter how many times she heard them. They were sitting on the floor in the sitting room rather than on the couch for a change, allowing all three women to face each other. They had been sitting for almost a half hour, eating their breakfast and making small talk while Lena finished her food at a slower pace. Whatever happened to her arm made it difficult for her to move it too quickly or lift anything.

Emily got up to put their plates in the sink, and Rose tensed noticeably in preparation. Her head was down for most of their meal and she barely uttered more than a few words, mostly answers to simple yes or no questions. Yes, she was comfortable sitting. No, she hadn't slept well. No, she didn't want to go out again soon. Yes, she wanted Lena to do a puzzle with her later and would help change her bandages.

“It’s gonna be okay, Rose. No matter what happened we won’t think less of you.” Lena tried her best to comfort her double, as Emily returned and sat back down, close enough to Rose that she could hear her rapid breathing but far enough that she didn’t feel crowded.

Rose had been at death's door enough times to know what the end felt like. It wasn't empty, it was the complete opposite, but what that feeling was full of was hard to determine. It wasn't dread or fear, but it was utterly and all encompassingly _oppressive_. It felt like a chapter was ending and the rest of the book was burnt. It was the weight of not being sure what came next;  _And Rose didn't know_.

That was what Rose felt now, as she waited for Emily or Lena to speak, because she knew that this was a conversation she couldn't start on her own, when it could destroy everything she had gained in the last few months.

"Just tell us anything you can, Rose. Anything at all."

Emily sounded worried, like she felt exactly the same dread at this conversation's potentially devastating consequences. Lena didn't speak, but a quick glance revealed her to be intently looking at her double, simply waiting for her to work up the courage to speak. She fiddled with the bandages around her wrist.

"You don't have to rush. Take your time."

~

" _Faster."_

_The metal band around her throat pulsed and she let let out a feeble cry, dashing forward as her intended target, a small, grey rabbit, darted out from the crates it had hidden under. Her entire body ached from chasing it for hours, without water or a chance to rest to regain her stamina. Her foot slipped when she tried to turn too sharply, her leg buckling under her as she just barely missed the small creature again._

_A disgusted sigh, then another jolt of electricity ripped through her body._

_"Useless. Again."_

_~_

Rose inhaled shakily, opening her eyes and removing herself from that particular memory before it could consume her. She didn't know how much she could tell them, before her brain began to retaliate. It wasn't surprising that she had failsafes programmed into her to keep her from talking. She didn't know what would trigger them. She just knew they were there.

"I was born in 2099 in New London, right before the third omnic crisis."

The words didn't bring with them the roaring headaches that she expected from a failsafe. No nosebleed or temporary loss of motor function. A safe start. She toyed with her hands, focussing on the small scars that she could feel under her fingertips as she tried to figure out the safest method of speaking.

"I lost my dad when I was three. Military man, he didn't come home one day. Mom overdosed on something a year later. Didn't remember much of them. Bounced around in the foster system for a while. Joined the New RAF when I was 15-"

" _Fifteen!?_ "

Rose flinched when Lena all but shouted, her eyes widening in shock and disbelief. "No way you were 15 that is _so_ many different kinds of illegal!"

"They were desperate." Rose replied quietly as she traced her thumb over a white line across her wrist, trying briefly to remember exactly how she got it. "By then the omniums were so advanced they had little difficulty reducing the human population worldwide by almost half. There weren't any volunteers anymore."

Lena slowly sat back, eyes still wide and mouth open slightly as she processed that information. Emily just looked down at her hands and nodded for her to continue. Rose didn't like the signals she was picking up but she carried on obediently.

"Flew with some of my dad's friends for two years, lost a lot of 'em, then some whackjob approached the higher ups about a new type of engine for one of our newer fighters, said it was a marvel of engineering that could finish the omniums once and for all." Rose began to rub her hands up and down her arms when Lena made a soft sound of realization.

"He'd been turned down before but I guess they were desperate enough at that point to approve his plans. Couple months later they announced a new type of fighter would be used by a select few pilots to attack the omniums worldwide. Only ten ever made it off the ground and saw actual battle. I was one of the pilots out of the ten. They called the fighter the SlipStream."

Rose swallowed and Emily wordlessly got up, padding into the kitchen. Lena had been silent until now, but the moment Emily was out of earshot she asked quietly, " _Did it work?_ " Her eyes were downcast, and Rose got the feeling that whatever the answer was, it wouldn't make the other brunette happy.

"...yeah. Mine did at least. Few others blew up the moment they tried to initiate."

Emily sat down again, offering a water bottle to Rose and Lena, opening her own as Rose cracked hers open and took a few pulls from it, quietly thanking the redhead and getting a gentle nod and a smile. _God bless this woman._

"I flew successfully in four different assaults on major omniums, can't remember which ones, but we did alright. Two omniums were wrecked and the other two were crippled. The fifth one....." She felt a chill run up her spine as she took another sip from her water bottle, "the fifth one didn't go as planned."

"It was the middle of winter but we got the call for the remaining SlipStream fighters to head out. Were about seven left I think. The omnium in Russia woke up, after almost fifteen years. It was spitting out foot soldiers faster than anyone could hope to suppress, so they sent us in with twice the firepower we normally carried. We blew up most of it, made sure it couldn't start up again, but that wasn't enough for Russia. We had only just started our return flight when a nuke blew up the omnium and everything for miles. They didn't care that we were trying to help and weren't out of the blast radius. We were five and a half miles away. Didn't stand a chance. Far as I know I'm the only one who didn't die instantly."

She couldn't remember much about the few seconds between seeing the nuke go off and her jet's engine malfunctioning. She only remembered clearly that she was advised to have repairs done before she flew again and never got the chance. They were called only hours after a request for a maintenance check was sent out. It was very likely that by the time her commanding officer received and either approved or denied the request, she had already been thrown into the endless void of time and space.

"My jet saved me, at least from dying. Still can't decide if I owe it my life or resent it for denying me a quick death. After that, I was missing for ten months, according to Doctor.... according...."

Time slowed, or it _felt_ like it did. She finally felt the beginning of a switch flipping in the back of her subconscious. She had reached the end of what she could safely confess, and now she was going to pay for her lack of restraint. She felt something warm and wet dripping onto the back of her hand and looking down confirmed it was _blood_. The water bottle dropped from her hand and spilled onto its side unnoticed.

"Rose, your nose is...." Lena's voice sounded very far away, like she was trying to speak to her double from the other end of a subway tunnel. Rose just stared at her hands, watching the drops of crimson fall and scatter across her pale skin with a look of detachment.

"I think she's dissociating. Get some tissues."

Emily's hands were on her shoulders and she was gently shaking Rose and saying, then almost yelling something she couldn't quite make out. Something about breathing? Oh. _She wasn't breathing_. She tried to draw breath but the request timed out somewhere between her brain and her lungs. Emily was pushing her onto her back and her voice was taking on a panicked tone as she called for Lena and began doing something to Rose's chest. Felt like compressions, or something close to it. CPR was not easy when the subject had a literal time anchor exactly where compressions were needed.

_Then, silence._

It was like someone had hit a mute button. Rose could see Emily's mouth moving but there was no sound. She looked frantic as she tried to make Rose breathe. Lena was standing frozen behind her, white as a sheet, seemingly petrified and unable to react to the sight of her double dying on the floor in front of her. When she did move it was to drop the tissue box in her hands and rush to Rose's other side, also visible panicking while Emily kept trying to do chest compressions.

Her vision was dimming, warning messages popping up and emergency text around the edges blurring as the cybernetics began to shut down in response to the sudden absence of the oxygen rich blood flow that powered them. She didn't experience black spots, just the notifications that something had gone critically wrong.

 _**[Fatal error.** _ **  
Error.** **  
Warning, oxygen supply critical.  
Cardiac arrest imminent.  
No pulmonary response detected.  
No cardiovascular response detected.  
Brain activity critical.  
Emergency jump authorized.  
Jumping in 3..... 2..... 1...... Jumping now.]**

She dimly felt Emily jerking her hands away from her anchor like she had been burned. A brief but powerful electric jolt was never pleasant. Her body jerked once, then fell limp again.

**[No response detected.  
Emergency jump authorized.  
Jumping in 3..... 2..... 1.....]**

Her fingers dug into the carpet, and her eyes rolled back as another shock ripped through her body.

**[Pulmonary response detected.  
Cardiovascular response detected.  
Emergency jump successful.**

_**Recalibrating.....]** _

" _She's going to die!_ "

The words were startlingly clear as all sensation came rushing back at the same time. Touch, taste, hearing, vision, smell. Rose felt the carpet under her fingertips and tasted copper. Emily's terrified sobs were almost deafening in her ears and the off-white ceiling spun for a moment before stopping. She could smell bacon and eggs faintly.

She remembered how to breathe.

She nearly passed out after the first deep, _desperate_ inhale, her back arching off the ground with the desperate motion of her diaphragm as she pulled in much needed oxygen. The next breath was followed by harsh, full bodied coughs that hurt her chest and made her eyes water. Her third breath and following cry of pain were muffled as Emily surged forward and seized her up into a tight embrace, one hand sliding under Rose's head when it lolled back and the other arm wrapping around her shoulders.

"Oh my god.... _Oh my god_..." Her voice was a higher pitch than Rose was used to, probably from panic or relief, maybe both. She was warm and her body heat was rapidly soothing Rose's returning panic before it could take her.

"You were _dying. You almost died_. You stopped breathing for _four_ minutes Rose."

Lena's voice was little more than a whisper as she knelt on Rose's other side, still pale and looking like she was going to be sick. She had been clutching Rose's limp hand the entire time, and hadn't let go despite suffering through two electric shocks. Now, she held Rose's hand tightly to her chest like Rose had done for her, her own hands shaking.

Rose's attempt at speech came out as a slurred mess, which didn't help the couple's state of near panic. Emily was visibly shaken, if not traumatized as she loosened her grip and laid the still mostly lifeless brunette 's head on her lap, and Lena wiped as much of the blood on her face as she could away. After being pushed down a lot of it had managed to follow gravity down into her hair. She felt sweaty and sore and gross, and worst of all she felt _broken_.

"What do we do!?" Emily whispered as Rose's eyes drooped to half mast, pupils blown wide and unfocused.

**[Maintenance required.  
Seek handler O'Deorain for reconditioning.  
Searching.  
Searching..  
Searching...**

_**Error.** _

_**Handler O'Deorain not found.** _

_**Seek Handler Reyes for further instruction.** _

_**Searching.  
Searching.. ** _

_**  
Handler Reyes not found.** _

_**Seek handler Sombra for detainment.** _

_**  
Error.** _

_**  
Rescind order, deceased handler.** _

**Warning.  
Memory repression protocol initiated.  
Calculating timeframe.  
Calculating..  
Calculating.....  
Finalizing.....  
Memory repression complete.  
Date 03/04/2116 to 07/11/2124 successfully repressed.  
Brain activity levels normalizing....**

**Reprogramming complete.  
Talon Operative callsign "Assassin" online.  
Awaiting instructions.  
Idle privileges initiated.  
Awaiting maintenance...]**

Rose's eyes opened and focussed sharply, registering Emily's face, then Lena's with a cold, calculating expression, like she was judging if they were a threat or not. Then, she uttered in a lifeless, monotonous voice words that sent a jolt of horror through Lena's body.

" _Assassin online and awaiting instructions. Please return me to Moira O'Deorain."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HHHHHHHHH IM WEAK. so here I hope you enjoyed the metrics f**kton of sadness.
> 
> I started doing some actual sketches of Rose, and was wondering if anyone wanted me to, I dunno, link my tumblr and leave them there? 
> 
> Thank you everyone for 28 kudos holy shit. 
> 
> I live off of comments so please let me know is I'm complete trash at writing or not TwT.


	7. Reconnections of the Unexpected Kind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Moira's lonely day and hopes of a manageable headache are tragically dashed, but just as quickly remedied. Emily reaches out to the only close family she has left. 
> 
> Or
> 
> Moira just wants a peaceful day. She does not get it. But at least she will get to poke something in the name of scie-I MEAN FOR EMILY AND TOTALLY NOT FOR SELF GAIN. 
> 
> Time for a crash course in being a good Aunt.

Moira O'Deorain prided herself on many things. Her intellect, her achievements, and her influence on the scientific community were at the top of the list. Up until now she believed her foresight and perception were also high on that list.

Waking up with a headache had not been a good start to her day, and had influenced most of her decisions accordingly. Her morning routine was the same, get up, shower, eat if she felt the need to, drink too much coffee, dress, pack away her laptop and other required equipment, briefly greet and pet Oscar, the small lop eared rabbit she had never quite had the nerve to experiment on, and check his food dish and water, lock her front door upon leaving, activate her home's security, and finally travel to Oasis University, her leg bouncing impatiently as the caffeine began to kick in.

The campus was empty, as it usually was when the students were on break between their first and second terms, and less students meant less of a hassle for the already grumpy redhead to deal with. Less students meant less papers to go through, no lectures to give or attend, less students she had to resist the urge to _strangle_ , and complete freedom to pursue other projects she otherwise found herself to busy to focus on.

The walk to the elevators was blissfully quiet, aside from the hum of the janitorial omnics and the buzz of the occasional lost rhoomba, and she sank into her desk chair, already preparing a mental checklist of the many tasks she wanted to get through before she returned home while she set up her equipment and opened her laptop.

She wasn't surprised by the amount of student emails that had begun to pile up over the last few days. The most recent email, titled with all bold, capitalized letters caught her mismatched eyes and made her pause, brow furrowing in momentary confusion.

**!!! I NEED TO SEE YOU. THIS IS AN EMERGENCY !!!**

She was no stranger to former colleagues or family members contacting her from time to time. When she was a disgraced former Overwatch geneticist her family had wanted nothing to do with her, for reasons she had completely understood and she honestly didn't care. The more they despised her the less they bothered her. When she began working and teaching at Oasis their feelings had done a 180. Once they became aware of her success her family became surprisingly willing to contact her, attempts she brushed off after seeing what they were. She had no interest in money grabbing relatives and that had never changed. Her hand had already travelled to select and delete the email before she read the _name_ of the sender and paused. Perhaps there was one relative that didn't _completely_ loathe her. Perhaps, just maybe that feeling was mutual. She promptly clicked and opened the email, leaning forward and resting her chin on her steepled fingertips as she read.

 

_Hello Auntie Moira,_

_I know it's been a long time, like ten years since we've spoken. I know you don't like to talk to family but this is important, and I hope you'll make time for your favourite niece. Me and my girl have recently acquired something you might find interesting, scratch that, I know you will find it interesting, and I was hoping you would let me bring it to your workplace to run some tests. I would provide more details but I don't want to risk what I have falling into the wrong hands. If you're interested in taking a look at her (and maybe getting coffee? I really missed you.) then please let me know. We don't really know what to do with it and we are afraid it might deteriorate of left untreated._

_Hope to hear from you ASAP!_

_  
Emily Walsh_

_P.S. Do you still have Oscar?_

 

Moira reread the email five times before hitting reply. She hadn't heard from her niece in nearly a _decade_ , and this was an interesting development, at least enough to warrant a reply. Her initial response was short.

_Emily,_

_While it has been a very long time and you doubtless have good intentions, I haven't the time to help you with whatever it is you have possession of-_

 

Moira's brow furrowed again, before she deleted the first sentence and tried again, this time trying to at least sound like she wasn't refusing a business deal. This was _Emily_ , not a greedy second cousin. She ought to treat the girl she more or less raised properly.

 

_Emily,_

_It has been a while, hasn't it? While I would enjoy being able to meet and catch up, I'm afraid I cannot help you with your problem. I don't know what it is you are asking me to evaluate, or even if it falls under my range of expertise. If you would really like me to make time for it, I need more information on what exactly it is I will be looking at._

_Moira O'Deorain  
_

_P.S. Yes, I still have Oscar, though he is getting on in years._

 

She sent the email off and closed the laptop, before pushing herself up and abandoning her jacket on the chair in favour of one of her standard white lab coats. She pinched the bridge of her nose with the thumb and index finger of her good hand, fishing the glasses she had forgotten the night previous from the lab coat's breast pocket as she slid her University issued ID through the scanner on the door to her personal laboratory, and slid the thin wire frames onto her nose. The correction of her slight nearsightedness only somewhat eased what was slowly becoming an annoying headache. A _ding_ from the office behind her, undoubtedly her niece replying to her own response, only added to what she was certain would evolve into a nasty migraine before the end of the day. Something to be checked later, once she had actually done what she travelled here to do.

Concentration was something she also thought herself more than adept at, but she was finding more things on that list to be _incorrect_ as the day wore on. Emily had already won the moment she withheld exactly what she was in possession of. Moira was nothing if not curious, and she knew Emily knew enough about her aunt's interests to place this mystery object firmly within the limits of Moira's knowledge. And hadn't she slipped a ' _she_ ' in there, seemingly unintentionally?

So it was an animal then. If it was she was considerably less curious, though not disinterested.

She sighed, concentration slipping for the moment. She hadn't even prepared the test samples she had wanted to make. Her task list would not be completed any time soon.

 

———————————————————-

 

When she slid back into her chair and opened her laptop she was not surprised to confirm that Emily had already replied.

_Hello Auntie Moira,_

_I can assure you that you will be very interested, but unless you can guarantee that no one (and I mean NO ONE) will find out about it, I can't provide you with any more information. And I have rules that you will have to follow if you agree to meet us._

_1\. You will not direct them to do anything beyond what is required to examine them._  
2\. You will not question them regarding what you find (it's complicated, I can explain in person.)  
3\. If she asks you to stop doing something, you stop, no questions asked. Her comfort is more important to me than your research and if you hurt her I will hurt you. You might be my Aunt, but I know what you've done.  
4\. I will be in the room while you run your tests. If I can't be there my girl will.  
5\. Don't be an ass to my girl. She promised to be civil and I expect the same from you.  
6\. You will NOT experiment on her. You will examine her, figure out if you can help her, and then treat her OR give me the means to do so myself.

_Emily._

 

Oh, she was getting curt now, how cute. Moira's mouth quirked into an amused smirk as she hit 'reply', slender fingers dancing across the keys.

 

_Emily,_

_I can provide you with a secure email to send whatever information you wish to. While I am very busy I admit that you have piqued my interest. If this object or creature is indeed something I find fascinating I will gladly offer my time and resources to get it sorted for you. I will adhere to your "rules" as best I can, but I can make no guarantees that this will go smoothly._

_Sincerely,_

_Moira._

_P.S. If you have any photographs I would appreciate those as well. The more information I have, the better._

 

She attached the address of her secure email, only used for emergencies and transactions with less than reputable clients, then she hit send.

She sent it and, after she logged out of her usual email and into her secure one, she sighed and sat back, contemplating the productivity of spamming the refresh button until she got a reply. If she even remotely knew what her niece was like after a decade, it was that Emily got results as quickly and efficiently as possible. God help anyone who got in her way or hurt the people she cared about. It was one of her unquestionably O'Deorain inherited traits. She leaned back a bit in her chair, idly swirling the mouse on the screen, hitting refresh, hypothesizing the nature of this object, refreshing again.

After ten minutes, the reply popped up, and Moira adjusted her glasses as she opened it.

 

_Moira,_

_It isn't an object or an animal. It's actually a person._

 

Moira leaned forward a bit, unquestionably interested now.

 

_She's more or less hiding with us, because my girl's boss wants her arrested or dead. She's got some serious mental problems and we think her body has been enhanced. She also has some kind of mental switch that we accidentally flipped earlier this week when we tried to make her talk about what happened to her. When she tried to tell us, she went catatonic and shortly thereafter went into what looked like cardiac arrest. She stopped breathing for four minutes and CPR didn't work. We think it was a failsafe of some kind to keep her from giving up important information. She would be dead right now if her body didn't suddenly revive itself. Scared us out of our minds in the process. She's doing better now but she doesn't remember anything from that morning, and she asked to be brought to you. She used your full name. She talked like a robot and we're really worried. If there's anyone who can help her it's you. Can you please help us?_

_Emily_

_P.S. I hope to god you didn't have anything to do with this, Auntie, because if you did, and know I love you, nothing in this world can protect you from me or my girl._

_[image attached]_

 

Moira didn't hesitate to open the attached image file, but she did need a few moments to fully grasp what she was looking at.

For the first few moments she was certain that this had to be some kind of _prank_ , and that she was looking at Overwatch's poster girl and annoying field agent, Tracer. The spiky hair and glowing chest apparatus only solidified her certainly until she began to notice abnormalities both small and large. She was sitting on the floor, looking up at whoever had taken the photo, Emily most likely, or her "girl" as she put it. Her skin was far paler than that of Tracer's, and the apparatus strapped to her chest sported a red ring, instead of the blue she normally saw. She could make out three distinct scars on her face, one across the bridge of her nose, one that ran from below her lower lip halfway up her left cheek, and a larger one that ran up from her jawline on the left side. Tracer had _none_ of these scars. Her hair was darker as well, the redhead noted, before she returned her eyes to those of the girl's. They were big and wide and full of tears, she looked upset and _frightened_. That wasn't what she noticed first, however. The girl's eyes were a striking, almost blood- _red_ , and upon closer inspection Moira was able to discern cybernetics within the iris as well as behind the eyeball itself. They looked astoundingly well-built. Whoever this was, they weren't Tracer. And she _definitely_ wanted to get her hands on them.

She minimized the image for now, for further examination later, and replied quickly.

 

_Emily,_

_You certainly have my attention. I do not know who this girl is, nor am I aware of how she came to receive these alterations, but I am very interested in examining her. If you are able, please bring her to the University as soon as you can. All of your travel expenses and accommodations can be arranged and payed for, and I can guarantee the best and most thorough examination possible._

_Please notify me of whether or not you can come and if so, when I can expect you._

_Moira._

_P.S. I can assure you that I was not responsible for this, and I will personally investigate who is responsible for these enhancements. Once you find out whom please keep from murdering them long enough for me to ask a few questions, if you are able._

 

All of her plans were long forgotten now. She only needed to refresh three times before she had a reply. Emily apparently inherited typing speed from her aunt's side of the family.

 

_Moira,_

_I can come by as soon as tomorrow morning, if you can arrange transport at such short notice. I would have waited a bit but we are seeing signs that she's starting to go downhill and she isn't eating. We will have to come by train to avoid any possible security stopping us and seeing our friend's unique appearance. I will also be bringing my girl, since she's told me she'll behave and would also like to speak with you. I promise I'll make her leave her pistols at home._

_See you soon!_

_Emily_

_P.S. I'll bring coffee from that one place in London you liked. Think of it as incentive to be gentle with my little friend._

 

Her headache was now a level six migraine, but as she began arranging her niece's transport and making a new checklist of the many tests she was going to be running tomorrow, she found that she didn't care. She was more excited now than she'd been in weeks, if not months. Possibly _years_. It wasn't often that such a unique and fascinating specimen was practically handed to her. She had a _lot_ of preparations to make.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had an excuse for posting this so soon, and that excuse was how brief it was. 
> 
> WAS. 
> 
> Then my dumb sleep deprived ass went and decided HEY LETS ADD A BUNCH MORE WHILE EDITING and I vomited out another thousand words and here the frick we are. 
> 
> I get to cry because Moira is bae and I want to be the one buying her coffee T^T (may or may not also want her to poke me in the name of science is that wierd please don't answer that.)


	8. A Thorough Diagnosis part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose returns to normal, but worries what she may have done to both Emily and Lena. Reassurance is provided and a choice is made. 
> 
> Or
> 
> All aboard the feels train! AND AN ACTUAL TRAIN. 
> 
> and hello Moira, you tall, scary, sexy evil woman you!

"Did I do something wrong...?"

Those were the first words Rose spoke after she woke up and Emily and Lena flinched in unison.

After regaining consciousness and making her unsettling request, Rose had very quickly peetered out as her adrenaline levels crashed, and she fell asleep right there on the sitting room floor. While moving her wasn't a good idea, at least not yet, Lena did run to grab a pillow off of the guest bed and Emily fetched a damp washcloth to try to dab some of the blood out of her hair. After Lena tucked the pillow under her head and Emily finished and set the cloth aside they just sat and looked down at the exhausted brunette for a few minutes in complete silence. When Lena spoke, it was barely more than a whisper.

"We _can't_ do it."

"Mind elaborating, pet?" Emily murmured as she brushed some of Rose's hair away from her eyes. The brunette shifted slightly in response, letting out a tiny, happy mumble at the touch.

"We can't take her to Moira." Lena clarified with a slightly firmer voice. Emily didn't reply until she had retrieved the wool blanket from the couch and tucked it around Rose, giving herself a few moments to think.

"Emily, _no_. I know she's your.... But she might...."

Emily held up a hand, effectively silencing her girlfriend's nervous babbling as she sat back from Rose and took a deep breath.

"We have two choices, Lena. We can stay here, keep doing things the same as we have for two months, and _pray_ that whatever just happened a) Doesn't happen again and b) Doesn't seriously impact Rose, and hope things don't go sideways, which they _probably_ will." Lena looked determined before, but now she looked conflicted and worried as she listened to Emily. Emily continued, "Or, option two, and _please_ hear me out, we can actually take her like she requested."

Lena immediately began to argue, but Emily didn't stop. "I can _contact_ her, I can give her conditions and rules of engagement. If she agrees to behave and follow our guidelines I can take Rose to see her and she can try to figure out what's going on. Now, before we start what will be a long and infuriating argument, let's get our tired little Cinnabun off the floor and into bed. I want her to be comfortable when she gets up." Lena sighed, clearly irritated, but nodded. "Good, now please carry her, I don't think my legs are going to work for a while longer after a scare like that." She finally let herself sound as exhausted as she felt as Lena carefully lifted her sleeping double off of Emily's lap, mumbling something about how she was going to make her eat more from now on because she's too light to be healthy. When Emily trusted her legs to carry her, she found Lena standing in front of the bed, having done as Emily asked and snugly tucked Rose into her usual spot in the middle of the bed. From the way Lena's shoulders were tensed she was mulling something over _very_ thoroughly. Lena was thinking, and thinking very hard, which was either very good or worrying. She was holding the pillow she had gotten when Rose was still recovering, gripping it so hard that her knuckles were turning white. As much as she trusted Lena, Emily felt a stab of worry when she realized that anyone else might think that Lena was considering doing something _terrible_ to Rose.

"You're worried about her."

Lena almost jumped out of her skin when Emily spoke, having been so far into her own head that she didn't hear her girlfriend approach. Emily only offered her a small, impish smile, making it clear that she didn't feel sorry at all and rather enjoyed the reaction. When Lena followed Emily's gaze, she blinked in confusion at the pillow in her hands, apparently having forgotten grabbing it.

She glanced up at her girlfriend, down at her hands, and Emily's slightly concerned look was all it took for Lena to realize just how _ominous_ she must look, standing over her double with something she could very easily smother her with.

" _I was just..!_ "

"It's okay, Lena. I know you wouldn't. You love her too much."

Lena dropped the pillow reflexively despite Emily's protest, she very much looked like she needed something to hold. "Here, sweet." The redhead gently put her hands in Lena's, and the smaller woman held them tightly, running her thumbs over her pale knuckles as Emily pulled her just close enough to rest her forehead against Lena's.

"Sorry, I uh, was just thinkin'." Lena admitted after she had gathered herself, rubbing the back of her neck. When Emily raised an eyebrow in question Lena huffed and crossed her arms before finishing. "'Bout goin to Iraq. Still don't want to, by the way. But it might be best, for Rose at least."

Lena sat down on the bed, a lot of tension visibly leaving her body when Emily joined her and wrapped an arm around her waist, pressing a kiss into her hair. She tucked her head under Emily's jaw and leaned into her, huffing again, this time happily, when Emily nuzzled her nose into her spiky brown hair.

"You _promise_ she won't hurt Rose?"

Emily sighed heavily, that question was difficult to answer. "I can promise she won't hurt her more than she strictly _needs_ to. I'll lay down some ground rules, if that helps."

"Think Rose'll be okay?" Lena asked, relaxing more when Emily began moving her hand in soothing circles against her girlfriend's back. "I think that she'll either be relieved to see my aunt or she'll _kill_ her. One of the two. We'll find out."

It was silent for a moment, before a frightened yelp sent both women leaping off the bed as Rose suddenly sat bolt upright, chest heaving. She gripped the blanket to her chest as she cast around, eyes eventually settling on Lena, who had reflexively placed herself between Rose and her girlfriend, and half into a fighting stance. It only took a heartbeat for Rose to panic and jump to the wrong conclusion.

".....Did I do something wrong...?" Her voice was _trembling_ , threatening to break as she looked from Lena to Emily, and not getting an answer immediately only made her panic further. Emily had hoped that she wouldn't have to see Rose cry ever again, which was an unrealistic wish, she knew, but she had at least hoped not to see the brunette break down again on the same day. Seeing her already tear-sore eyes begin to well up again was heartbreaking. Even after Lena relaxed out of her tensed stance and moved out of the way Rose continued to panic, even as they both moved to sit again.

"I _hurt_ you didn't I? Why won't you tell me? _What did I do!?_ "

The last question was little more than a choked _scream_ of frustration as she scrambled backwards, away from the two people she cared about and possibly injured. Why else would they react they way they did? Why else would Lena move to _protect_ Emily from her? Why else would they still not be saying anything.

"Rose be careful! You're getting too close to the-"

Rose flinched away from Emily's hand as she reached out for her, and pitched backwards off the far side of the bed with a yelp that quickly faded into soft, muffled sobbing as she curled up into a tight little ball after hitting the floor. Lena was already vaulting over the bed to land on the other side before Emily could react, despite Rose feebly protesting, still convinced she had hurt one or both women. Her pleas fell on deaf ears, and by the time Emily had gotten up and made her way around the bed like the sensible, calm person she was, Lena had dropped down onto the floor next to her double and was in the process of absolutely smothering her with affection while Rose _sobbed_ into her shoulder and clenched fistfuls of Lena's shirt to keep her from moving away, not that she would. Lena was clutching Rose so tightly that she may as well have been trying to merge them together into one person.

"We're taking you to see Moira. Emily's gonna talk to her, I promise. We're gonna get you some help, Rose. It's ok." Lena murmured against Rose's hair as she struggled to keep her own tears from spilling over, to no avail, and if Rose crying was heartbreaking, the both of them in tears and in distress made Emily want to find whoever was responsible and do very, _very_ unspeakable things to them.

"I'll go try to shoot her an email. I'll be back once I have her word that she'll help, okay?" She said softly, not quite daring to touch in case it upset Rose further. She was still crying harder than she had ever seen someone cry, and Lena was very quickly devolving into a similar state out of a mixture of guilt and shame over how much she had upset her double. They'd need a bit of time to tire themselves out, and would need sleep. They both probably needed sleep more than anything else.

———————————————————-

Emily didn't know if their luck so far was a blessing or an omen of misfortune to come, and she didn't like not knowing which.

They had run into very few problems on the way to Iraq, the biggest merely being a suspicious ticketman who had needed some convincing that Lena and Rose were identical twins and that yes, Rose's eyes were naturally that color. The station had been more crowded than they were expecting. Despite the noise and lack of space, however, Rose had, unexpectedly, been the calmer of the two Brits, needing only to hold Emily's hand in order to remain comfortable even without the familiar rigging of her accelerator. The device was stowed in her backpack again, and Lena simply wore hers, confident that she would be let through. She _was_ right in the end, but Emily still scolded her, PETRAS still being prominent and very much still a problem. Rose was content to let herself be guided, not talking to anyone until they were seated.

"Of course she's giving us special treatment. Thanks Auntie." Emily said half exasperated and half impressed. She wasn't expecting an almost empty first class with large, comfortable seats and an actual selection of programs to view on the screens built into the backs of each seat. She didn't even know where her assigned seat was, as it hadn't been printed on the ticket her Aunt had purchased for them, and must have looked lost enough for an omnic in a very nice tuxedo and bow tie to make his way to her, greeting her with a cheerful hum.

"Welcome to first class Miss Walsh, please sit wherever you like. If you need anything please don't hesitate to ask. Your comfort is of utmost importance." He gestured to the seats around them, before he gave a bow and returned to the front of the carriage.

"Okay, I still don't like her, but she knows how to treat someone _right_!" Lena flopped into one of the large seats and groaned blissfully as she melted into it like warm butter. Rose lowered herself into the seat next to her more carefully, only relaxing once Emily sat as well and grasped her hand again. She looked exhausted, despite having slept for several hours before having to pack for their last minute train to Baghdad.

"It'll be a while till we get there, 'bout ten hours. We may as well try to get some sleep before we get there. I doubt the ride to Oasis will be comfortable for any of us." Emily didn't need to say anything, Rose had been inquisitively messing with a small control panel on the arm of her seat and found a button that turned on the heated backrest. By the time Emily finished talking she was only half conscious, watching Lena as she cycled through the selection of movies on the small screen in front of her. Emily settled herself as best she could in her situation. Her mind was going mental trying to catch up with the sudden series of less than fortunate events that had put them on this train. She was not exactly looking forward to seeing her aunt, _especially_ after they had cut contact almost a decade earlier.

Emily remembered Moira with more clarity than she remembered her own mum. When her parents got sick she had nowhere to go, and had been dumped rather unceremoniously onto her aunt's doorstep. She hadn't even met Moira until that day she found eight year-old Emily standing in front of her house in the rain and reluctantly allowed her inside. Moira was a strict, no-nonsense and no funny business type of woman then, and she hadn't been one to show affection or kindness. The only affection she displayed while Emily was present was shown to the lop eared rabbit she had brought home from her university two years before Emily moved out. Her attention was never on Emily, and she was in her study whenever she was home. She only went so far as to ensure that Emily was properly fed, had somewhere to sleep, and paid for her education, but went no further, too absorbed in her own studies, too focussed and driven to share any time with a child she didn't know. She had lived with her Aunt for a decade, comfortably but not happily, and had quickly moved out as soon as she was legally able to do so, and with little fanfare. If her aunt even noticed her absence, she never showed it and never reached out save for the occasional email, once on her birthday, once on Christmas two years later, and then nothing until now. Her emails had been surprisingly pleasant, if not a little too professional, even though Emily knew that Moira was more interested in Rose than her niece. It was simply how she was. Focussed, driven, and stubborn were all traits of the O'Deorain side of her family and Moira was a perfect example of it.

She leaned her head against Rose's when the brunette lost interest in Lena's film of choice, and leaned to nestle herself against Emily's side once the redhead lifted the armrest separating them. She was probably going to be asleep for the entire train ride. Emily willed her eyes shut as the train rocked gently, letting the steady motion and Rose's soft breaths against her neck lull her into a light doze, then into proper sleep.

———————————————————-

"Ok, here we go." Emily didn't feel nearly as confident as she sounded. Rose was gripping her left hand for dear life, Lena protectively clinging to her right as she looked up at the large double door that loomed over her. It was the only thing separating her from her Aunt, and the thought made her uneasy. Lena had been unusually quiet, but began fidgeting the moment they entered the campus grounds and hadn't stopped. Rose was silent, looking anywhere but the door with an expression very close to _fear_ and while Emily knew she had to knock sooner or later, she didn't want to let go of either of her girls.

"You can come in, you know. The door is open."

None of them were prepared to be addressed and Rose flinched and jumped back a bit, gripping Emily's hand so hard that it hurt. Lena reacted in a similar manner. Emily froze for a moment, startled, before she sighed and accepted their fate, unable to bolt now that her Aunt was aware of their presence. "Come on, then. Let's go." She mumbled.

Moira O'Deorain didn't look up immediately when they entered, the heavy door closing audibly behind them. Her office was large, larger than any one person could possibly need, with her desk nearer to the back and covered in papers she was apparently making her way through. She didn't look too different from when Emily was living under her roof, despite the ten years. She was a bit thinner now, cheekbones a tad more prominent, brow furrowed in a look that Emily knew well, her look of utter and complete _concentration_.

"I trust you had a comfortable journey, and that your accommodations here are satisfactory?" Moira's cool demeanour hadn't changed at all, her focus remaining on her paperwork as she spoke.

"It was fine. I'd like to get this done with as soon as possible, Auntie, if you don't mind. We're all exhausted." Emily felt rather proud of herself for getting a reaction, even if it was only a glance and a raised brow at the request.

"We can begin as soon as I finish signing off on all the equipment I had to request. I want to be as thorough as possible."

It was another few minutes before she spoke to Emily again, the only words she spoke before she finished was to tell Lena to _stop_ scuffing the floor with her foot and let her concentrate.

"Now that that's out of the way," she began, finally standing as she gave them her full and undivided attention, "please follow me." She didn't wait for them, merely making the few strides to a door that she unlocked with an ID card and held open for them to enter.

Her eyes quickly found and focussed on Rose as she passed, who was still gripping Emily's hand for dear life and hiding behind the redhead as much as she could. Her obvious discomfort and anxiety was practically _radiating_ off of her now that she was in Moira's presence. The taller redhead was unbelievably intimidating despite her slight stature, and she knew it and used it.

"Is there something we need to sign or..." Emily trailed off uncertainly as her aunt slipped into the room after them. Flipping the lights on as the door shut behind her. That got an unexpected chuckle as Moira made her way towards the back of the room, "Emily, why do you think I asked you to use my secure email? This whole evaluation doesn't exist as far as anyone else knows." Her tone was almost mocking, and Emily could practically hear Lena grinding her teeth behind them. Moira pulled a chair out from one of the desks on the far side of the room, spinning it and fixing them with an expectant look. 

"Let's get started shall we? Let me see your little friend."

Moira, to her credit, did seem to try to make herself less intimidating as she sat down and waited as Emily sighed, nodding. There was no way out now, other than through.

"Go on, Rose. I'll be right here." She murmured, giving the brunette's hand one last squeeze before stepping away and letting go. The instant she did Rose tensed up and looked more than a little bit panicky, looking from Emily to Moira uncertainly.

"Come here, let me get a proper look at you."

 

Rose made no move to obey, staring at the older woman with a look of sheer terror. Moira, surprisingly, waited patiently, giving Rose a healthy amount of time to listen to her before her gaze flicked to Emily.

 

"I'm going to try something. May I?" It was less of a question and more of a "I know you won't like what I am going to do but I will be doing it anyways." Emily hesitated, but ultimately sighed and nodded.

 

" _Rose, Teacht níos gaire dom_."

Rose didn't move until Moira switched from English to her native tongue, and it was like a switch had been flipped. When her whole body stiffened and she wordlessly obeyed, striding the few steps between them and stopping directly in front of the older woman everyone in the room looked surprised, including Moira herself.

"...you never informed me that she had been _reconditioned_ , Emily." It wasn't an accusation. If anything, when her name was said, Emily found a mixture of surprise, confusion, and intrigue in her aunt's eyes as she slowly stood up again. Rose made no move to flinch away, simply remaining where she was.

"She responds to instructions, but only when spoken in Irish. Interesting... What are you, I wonder? Who is your master?" Moira was mostly addressing Rose, who still hadn't moved. Her frightened expression had faded into the neutral, blank one she had briefly displayed after her episode, and Emily didn't like it at all.

"I told you not to give her instructions." She didn't want to sound angry, but she did as she started to move forward despite Lena's protest. "Em, wait. Don't get too close. She isn't Rose right now!" She had a point, and Emily reluctantly slowed before Moira spoke, again in Irish. _"cé hiad féin agus cé hé do mháistir?_ "

Rose responded immediately, "Lena Oxton, callsign "Assassin," Talon Operative. You are my Handler. What are my orders?"

If looks could kill, Emily would have ended her aunt right then and there if not for Lena's interference. "We should probably explain the whole parallel timeline situation at this point I think. I don't think Rose can tell the difference." Lena blinked in front of Emily when she took a step forward, putting herself between her girlfriend and Rose, who had turned to look at them with a blank expression.

Emily was still staring at her Aunt with unconcealed rage and disgust, before she wordlessly pivoted and strode towards the door and _slammed_ it behind her. Moira sank back into her chair, her mismatched eyes following her niece as she left. "I doubt she'd believe me when I say I hadn't known I could control your friend." She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed, before she told Rose to sit, and her focus turned to Lena.

"What was it you said about timelines, Miss Oxton?"

Lena, halfway to the door to try to talk her girlfriend down, froze mid step as Moira addressed her, swallowing audibly as she turned back to the older woman.

"It's.... A bit of a story."

Moira simply gestured to another nearby chair, "By all means, my schedule is clear. Tell me _everything_."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I stayed up late last night writing, suffered today at work, and guess WHO DIDNT LEARN HER FKIN LESSON. THIS DUMB BINCH. 
> 
> Your comments give me strength so please feed me I am but skin and bone ;3;


	9. A Thorough Diagnosis part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emily and Moira have a talk, Emily remembers that Moira wasn't such a terrible Aunt. One final test before they take a break. 
> 
> Or,
> 
> Moira tries. Two sleepy girls.

Emily was _fuming_.

She had known from the get-go that Moira would push the boundaries she had set, on purpose or not, and she had thought she would be able to control herself when she did. She knew that her Aunt was not responsible for what happened to Rose, but knowing that there was a Moira in Rose's timeline that _was_ , well it made her blood boil. Huffing, she shoved her hands into her sweater pockets, making her way to one of the railings with a view of the water.

The university was a beautiful place, and she leaned on the railing she had come to rest against, looking out over the water below and trying to calm herself. She felt like an idiot, partly because she had allowed Moira to take command of Rose, but also because _she_ had been the first one to snap, not her Aunt. She had forgotten that Moira, while stubborn, proud, and at times cruel, also had the capacity for endless patience. She, for all of her flaws, had never once actually gotten angry at her niece, not even back when they lived together. Emily often tried to get her attention, first through positive methods, like showing her something she had drawn or asking to go outside. When that failed, she turned to more destructive, troublemaking ideas.

~

One day in particular stood out to her. When her Aunt had gone to write an exam and left Emily on her own, something she had started doing once the girl was old enough, Emily had gone into her study and ripped up some of the papers on her desk, including what had turned out to be a very important thesis.

She had expected an angry retaliation when her Aunt arrived home, looking exhausted and no doubt short tempered. Emily skipped dinner and simply waited for Moira to storm into her room and yell at her. The hours ticked by, and despite her resolve her anger slowly turned into anxiety as she began to worry. _What if Moira simply kicked her out_?

When her Aunt finally did talk to her, it started off, surprisingly, with a very soft knock on her door. Emily had expected shouting and perhaps even a broken door, so, startled, she had responded " _come in_!" Out of habit.

Moira hadn't spoken until she was sitting next to her niece on the bed, but when she did it was a half chuckle.

"...I understand that you want me to be angry at you, but you do know that I handed that thesis in two weeks before you destroyed it, right?" She was smiling faintly and Emily could see the dark circles under her eyes. She looked like she hadn't slept in days. "Trying to upset me will get you nowhere, Emily. Negative attention isn't something you want to strive for. Destroying my things won't get you what you want either. I know that I don't come across as caring, and in some ways I don't, it's just how I am. I didn't have parents either, and it made me like this." She sighed and reached up to adjust her thin framed glasses on her nose, something she only ever did when she couldn't remember something or was trying to figure out the answer to a question, or when she was nervous. "You're thirteen, Emily, and you're already doing what I used to do to get attention. I can't stop you from destroying my schoolwork or leaving the fridge door open, but I'm going to tell you something. Take this to heart. Anger gets you nowhere. Negative attention leads to far reaching consequences. If you want attention, reach out to someone that can give it to you. I can't do that, but I also won't let you ruin your own life. I may not always act like I want you here, but you are family, in the end, and I want you to learn how to make yourself happy, instead of relying on me to provide it."

She pulled her glasses off of her face and sighed, before she added, in a slightly more firm tone, "I understand why you did it, but you know that I won't be letting you off he hook. That was an important thesis. You will go and eat your supper, and then you will return to your room and do homework until bedtime. Tomorrow you may not watch television, or the day after, until you have finished everything for all of your classes."

Emily was holding in tears at that point, it having sunk in that she could have potentially crippled her Aunt's academic scores with her outburst. She didn't argue, simply letting, out a soft, "Yes Auntie." Before she got up to go to her desk and grab her homework. Moira had left, but not before telling her to come and ask for help if she had any questions. It was the first time she had offered and it became the one thing they somewhat bonded over. Homework was the only time she was guaranteed with her elusive aunt, and despite how little they talked about anything unrelated to Emily's education or a particularly tough question, it was positive attention that made Emily think twice about trying to sabotage her Aunt ever again.

~

"Day dreaming again? This is why you always had unfinished homework you know."

Moira had appeared out of nowhere, taking Emily by surprise. She felt angry, for just a moment, before it faded into a tired irritation, that then simply settled into _guilt_.

"She's recovered, if that makes you feel any better. I simply had to tell her to reenter passive mode, and seeing as it apparently takes a very specific phrase to bring her back under my command, that I do not know, I can no longer command her. I figured that would put your mind at ease, after you stormed off." There it was. The quiet amusement that had confused her so much whenever she tried to make her Aunt angry. When she looked up Moira was mimicking her posture, arms crossed on the railing as she leaned on it and inhaled deeply, head slightly tipped back and eyes closed.

"Didn't expect you to lose interest in Rose so quickly." Emily winced internally when the jab came out more accusatory than she intended, but it only made her Aunt chuckle, rather than earn herself a rebuke. "It's been two hours, Emily. Miss Oxton was kind enough to bring me up to speed and explain most of the timeline theory her gorilla friend had formulated. I am simply out here to think, and to attempt to find some common ground."

She inhaled deeply, then turned her head to look at Emily with an uncharacteristically sincere expression that caught the younger woman off guard.

"The gorilla's theory is frighteningly believable, especially now. I may have dismissed it if someone explained it to me several months ago, however, I now believe that not only has Miss Oxton's alternate self created a disturbance in the fabric of reality by existing in this timeline, she has also caused the two timelines, to an extent, to merge, which has effected anyone who exists in both timelines."

Emily would have tuned out of not for the worrying implications her Aunt's theory had.

"What do you mean? You think there is another you out there?"

Moira shook her head dismissively, "not at all, I believe that each person from Rose's timeline that had an alternate self here, managed to merge with the other. Rose was exempt from this effect due to her.... Unique... Abilities and her temporal displacement. This fusion has led to a lot of unusual changes in mood, personality, and emotional capacity."

Emily slowly nodded as her Aunt explained, understanding her but still finding it a bit outlandish. "What makes you think one person's mind could affect another version? Have you seen it happen?" Emily turned to lean on the rail with one arm, giving her aunt her full attention. It was homework mode now. Moira's expression was troubled, another first.

"I have seen several students and teachers take on completely different personalities I. The span of a few days. One teacher, a devout Christian, suddenly claimed to be an athiest and thought he lived in a different place. One woman went from calm and relaxed during a study period to paranoid and aggressive, lashing out at several of her close friends. I have also noted several changes in my own behaviours, some of which are concerning."

The door to Moira's office opening made them both turn. Lena had evidently become concerned by their absence and was poking her head out, but quickly retreated once she spotted them. Moira stood up straight, looking back out to the water for a few more moments before sighing and gesturing towards her office.

"Perhaps we can discuss this inside. I would prefer not to risk anyone hearing."

———————————————————-

Emily was relieved to find Rose back to normal and Lena unharmed. She trusted her aunt enough to leave her with them, just barely, since Moira had given her word to toe the line, but part of her entertained the thought that Moira may have gone to find her purely to give the janitorial omnics time to get rid of Lena's body.

"As I was saying, I have noticed some unusual changes to my mood and behaviours that, until you arrived, I had no explanation for." Moira continued, sinking into her desk chair and leaning back in it with a sigh. "I have never been a paranoid person, yet I began feeling unsafe more and more often in the past few months. My security is airtight yet I find myself looking over my shoulder." She was pinching the bridge of her nose again, a clear indication of a headache. "I have also experienced blackouts as well as night terrors every other night. Neither had ever occurred until three months ago."

Rose was leaning on Lena, her eyes never leaving the geneticist as she listened. Lena was less interested, and apparently still very tired as she slumped down in her seat with a yawn. If Lena was tired then Rose would peeter out soon after.

"Is there anything else you want us to do, Auntie? I'd like to get my girls to bed as soon as possible, they've had a rough few days."

Emily's voice was just barely enough to gain Moira's attention, evidently the older woman wasn't very well rested either. "Hm? Yes, I would like to take a look at her brain for any cybernetics, and that means a CT scan."

———————————————————-

By the time Emily got her girls to the hotel, Rose was drowsy and Lena could barely stand. "Come on sweets, bath and then bed. You both deserve a good rest." She murmured as Lena stumbled into the hotel room, too exhausted to enjoy how big the room was or the many extra luxuries it offered. She went straight for the bathroom while Rose slumped into the large and soft looking sofa in front of the fireplace. There was an actual fireplace.

"Tired, pet?"

Rose mumbled softly in reply, fiddling with the bandage taped to the inside of her left arm. She had been reluctant to provide blood samples, but had been too tired to really argue. If they were lucky the samples and brain scans would be enough to entertain Moira for a few days, before she inevitably requested additional tests. It would give Rose a much needed opportunity to rest and hopefully enjoy the change of scenery without feeling threatened. Her head dropped onto Emily's shoulder after a few minutes, it was less and less likely she would make it to the bath before she dropped off completely.

"To bed then. Come on Rose, it's not that far." Emily crooned, as Rose made a small sound of protest at being pulled up. Her eyes were closed, and Emily had to do most of the work to get the brunette to the closest of the two large beds. Once her accelerator was off and her clothes folded on the nightstand, she struggled blearily into one of the nightshirts Emily brought her, before climbing into the large bed and curling up in the middle with only the top of her head sticking out. If she were rested she would have taken far longer to let her guard down and probably wouldn't have risked sleeping at all. Being in an unfamiliar environment was upsetting enough for Rose, and seeing her already asleep without even the slightest resistance proved just how exhausted she was.

Lena emerged from the bathroom fifteen minutes later, setting her accelerator down next to her double's and stretching. She didn't hesitate to crawl into bed, especially when Emily beckoned from her usual side. Rose didn't even stir when they cuddled into either side of her.

"G'night, Em."

"Night, Sweet."

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll immediately admit I hate this chapter. It feels clunky and stiff and ugh. 
> 
> I also haven't posted in a few days and I"m sorry about that. I've been going through a rough patch lately, my depression and anxiety have gotten to the point where I nearly passed out at work. My parents don't understand how serious anxiety is so they haven't been the most helpful. 
> 
> But yeah! As always your comments make me so happy! I love suggestions too!
> 
> EDIT: Here’s my tumblr in case anyone wants me to post actual art stuff related to the fic.  
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/tired-geneticist


	10. The Eye of the Hurricaine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emily is worried about Rose, who is clearly still suffering from her near death experience. They learn about what Overwatch has been up to, and it's not good. Emily has a bad feeling.

  
Emily had gotten used to getting up first. Of the three of them, Lena was the most lazy, sleeping until well after lunch if no one woke her up. Rose was by no means lazy, but she never liked to get up if she hadn’t gotten at least seven hours sleep. Emily was more than happy to oblige, after Rose admitted a bit ashamedly that she was still used to four hours maximum and never wanted to return to that schedule.

It was a surprise when she woke up in an empty bed for the first time since Rose showed up. She could hear the shower running so that answered one question. A messily scribbled note left on Lena’s pillow promptly answered the other.

“ _If you’re still asleep by the time I go, I just went to grab breakfast before the morning rush!_ ”

Emily had taken a bit longer to get comfortable than Rose and Lena when they all settled in for the night. She woke up a few times, and all in all maybe got six hours sleep. Not the best but not the worst either. She felt tired nevertheless as she pushed herself up, stretching before she swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood, quietly padding to the large television above the fireplace and grabbing the remote. It took a little finagling to figure out how the remote worked, and how to switch channels, but Emily had figured it out and was lounging on the sofa by the time Rose emerged from the bathroom in one of her new t-shirts and one of her delightfully vulgar pairs of leggings. Once she finished towelling her hair off she sank onto the sofa, pulling her legs to her chest. She was taking the events of the last few days surprisingly well, all things considered. At least she was _mentally_. After her near death experience she hadn't regained all of the color in her face, and there were dark circles under her eyes. She looked considerably _weaker_ , and Emily was almost certain that it was a result of her episode.

"Feeling ok, pet? You look awfully sick." She murmured, as Rose leaned back against the sofa with a sigh. The brunette gave her a grunt in reply, not unusual, but not a good enough answer this time. Emily tried again, "Rose you look like _death_. Is this because of your episode?" She knew that the girl didn't remember the episode, she only knew what had happened from what Lena and Emily had been willing to tell her. Rose forced her eyes open and inhaled deeply, before actually replying, with words this time.

"Prolly from that yeah. Some kind of punishment, more long term." She sounded exhausted. She always sounded exhausted. Emily had occasionally wondered just what had happened to her, and what had been done to her to reduce such a vibrant, energetic woman to _this_. An obedient, quiet, anxious, meek woman. She never thought about it for long, preferring to try not to think too hard about it. It was a _depressing_ subject.

"Moira won't be asking for anything until tomorrow at least, so we can relax today. I know that you hate going out so how about we explore this hotel room? We haven't seen anything past the bedroom and theres a _huge_ balcony!" Rose nodded along with Emily even though she seemed reluctant to get up. "After breakfast lets go look at the balcony, Lena said she saw a hot tub out there, and I brought some bathing suits, just in case. Some hot water and jets might help you relax a little."

Rose nodded again, her tired eyes focussing on the television as it switched to breaking news. It was not in English but the two of them were able to figure out what was going on based on the images.

It wasn't pretty. It was a bird's eye view of a small town, or what _used_ to be a small town. It looked more like a war zone. Buildings were _levelled_ , formerly white brick and decorated rooftops were charred and dirty. There was a large black aircraft with a red Talon insignia on the side rammed into one of the larger buildings, which had crumbled around it. Not too far from it was the remains of an Overwatch craft, three huge holes blown into it. There were no bodies, at least no visible ones, but there was no way that a battle of such ferocity had failed to rack up casualties.

" _Oh my God._..."

Emily was shocked. She was horrified, speechless, terrified, devastated, enraged, disappointed, and she was relieved. Horrified because Lena could have been there, and she would have more certainly died of she had been. Speechless over the complete lack of morality and absence of concern for civilian life from not only Talon but Overwatch as well. Terrified because if this was what Overwatch was willing to do to ensure victory, what would they do to get at Rose? Devastated because she knew that once Lena saw this she would completely lose faith in the organization that had been her life for so many years. The organization she believed in. Enraged because Overwatch was supposed to have been a beacon of good and Justice, a force of light in the darkness who would never endanger civilian life. Disappointed because they were not what they claimed to be, and most of all she was _relieved_ that Lena was here, with them and safe, not dead or dying under the rubble on the news.

Lena was late coming back and when she did she was pale and she looked like she was going to be _sick_. Emily didn't need to ask, she had clearly caught a glimpse of the news. She put the food she had brought down and stumbled to the bed, collapsing onto it and curling into a ball. It was especially hard for her to accept, out of everyone else. She was their poster girl. She was the _face_ of Overwatch. She had believed that they were a force for good and that they would always do what was right. Seeing this, seeing them commit such an atrocity that wouldn't win them the war, or even make any notable progress, was soul shattering. Lena was already reeling from Jack's betrayal regarding her double, this had to be destroying her.

"I don't know what to do..." She whispered when Emily sat on the bed and gently rubbed circles against her lower back, not even lifting her head. It looked like all life had simply flowed out of her.

"Lena, this isn't the end, you know that. The old guard is messing up and making mistakes but you know that everyone else will fight this. If they haven't already left they _certainly_ won't help the old guard now." Emily soothed, as Lena let out a broken sob. "I shoulda been there, I coulda..."

"You'd be _dead_." Rose startled them both when she lowered herself on Lena's other side, after tearing her eyes away from the television. "You'd have protested and he would have shot you, like he was going to shoot me."

She looked weary, drained, but her words were firm and honest and Lena let out a choked sound at the truth of it.

"Can I.... Can I be alone for a bit...?"

Emily nodded, pushing herself up. "Of course, sweet. We'll go out on the balcony, take your time. If you need us just call ok?"

———————————————————-

"This isn't so bad, is it?" Emily hummed as she watched Rose toe the water hesitantly. It had been hard getting her to change out of her clothes and into a bathing suit of all things, harder to get her out onto the balcony in said swimsuit while setting her accelerator near the hot tub, and now Rose was staring at the bubbling, frothing water like it was going to _kill_ her. Emily, naturally, was already up to her shoulders in the hot water, trying to coax the brunette in as well. Once she got her in, Rose would enjoy it without a doubt. The only problem was actually getting her in.

"It's safe, Rose, I promise. Just take it slow. Hold the railing and then come sit with me. It feels _amazing_." Emily reassured her, as Rose continued to stare with no small amount of anxiety and suspicion. But she didn't want to go inside and disturb Lena, so she steeled herself and _carefully_ stepped in, gripping the railing for dear life.

"It's shallow, we can sit and relax. The bottom is there I _promise_."

Rose felt a little foolish for assuming it was any deeper than waist high, given its size, but the fact that she couldn't actually _see_ the bottom made it hard to convince herself. The brunette liked the water and how warm it was, and that was enough, it seemed, to keep her from giving up. The floor of the hot tub was rough like grainy sandpaper and made it pretty hard to slip, another reassurance once Rose could feel it, and brace herself against the jets of water.

"Come sit with me, Rose, the jets feel _lovely_. Helps with all the sore muscles."

Rose was still stiff and ready to leap out when she lowered herself into the seat next to Emily, but the moment she felt the jets against her back she, as Emily predicted, relaxed with a huff of relief, _sagging_ against the side of the hot tub as her eyes closed blissfully.

Emily relaxed with her, the next half hour filled only with the soft bubbling of the water before she spoke.

“I know you can't remember anything related to, you know, but what about your life before everything? Growing up? Friends, family?" She wasn't sure how to politely ask. Rose hummed and didn't open her eyes, replying _just_ loud enough to be heard over the jets.

"If I remembered anything I woulda said. I don't remember anything." It was certainly discouraging. Rose's life had been one tragedy after another according to her, and now she couldn't remember any of it. "But I don't have to remember the bad things now, whatever they were."

She could never really _know_ Rose. It was sad to realize that Rose would always be, to an extent, a _stranger_ to them, that she couldn't tell them about herself if she _tried_. The memory loss had removed a huge chunk of her life, and had damaged everything from before whatever happened to her. Rose would, in all likelyhood, _never_ remember what she had been before her own slipstream accident.

The door slid open and they both looked over as Lena tiredly made her way over. She was changed as if to join them, she still looked tired and she was still clearly reeling but she offered them a faint smile nevertheless as she sank into the seat next to Emily on her other side, groaning in relief.

"Feeling a bit better love?" Emily asked softly as Lena leaned on her, smiling when she nodded, closing her eyes and tipping her head back.

"Lots of the new guys've been texting my personal phone since I left. Everything's gone completely to shit over there. Lucio left with Hana, Genji and Winston this morning, before Ilios got flattened. They want to meet up and lay low. I haven't decided what to do yet, or if I should trust them. They're my friends but after all this I don't know." She sounded like she was defeated.

"They won't turn you or Rose in, they're more likely to fight to protect her than to capture her. I wouldn't invite them here, considering who we're getting help from, though."

Lena looked conflicted, nevertheless. "They also say that Widowmaker hasn't been seen since I got home from the last mission, and Sombra's been _uncharacteristically_ helpful. They only found my personal phone through _her_ apparently." She leaned on Emily completely, nestling her head into the crook of her neck.

"They told us to be careful. No one knows where Widowmaker is, according to our hacker buddy. Talon lost track of her completely and Sombra wants us to keep an eye out. Not sure why she wants us of all people to look for her, though."

The brunette's eyes were nearly shut now, the jets lulling her closer to sleep as she talked. Rose was in a similar state of drowsiness, head tipped back as she listened. She had to be feeling safe if she was willing to sit with her anchor so exposed. It had been about half an hour now, ten minutes over the suggested time to spend in the hot tub, a good time to get out.

"Let's get the two of you inside and dry, and me and Rose can eat. You both look like you could use a nap."

———————————————————-

"Ok, we'll be by tomorrow morning. We'll be careful, I _promise_. Yeah, we know about " _her_ ". We'll keep an eye out." Emily flopped onto the bed with a huff after disconnecting the call. She was glad she had eaten before checking in with her aunt, because she had now lost her appetite. Moira had assured her, first and foremost, that she _wasn't_ involved in the destruction of Ilios, was quite _angered_ by it in fact. Her methods were unorthodox, sometimes _ruthless_ , but in the end she sought to better mankind, and she didn't know how razing an entire town to the ground helped further that goal. She had run Rose's scans and had a lot to discuss with them, and she also mentioned a theory involving a combat suit that Rose might be interested in. The thought of Rose actually armed was unsettling, but perhaps it would be for the best. She was helpless as long as she was running around relying on Lena for protection. It was only right that she be able to defend herself.

She would have to tell the girls about it when they got back. After their nap,  Lena had checked the booklet she had found in the room, detailing events and special deals in the nearby market and had _somehow_ convinced Rose to go spelunking with her. Emily wasn't worried, they had been sending pictures every fifteen minutes or so, selfies Lena took in the various parts of the market as she and Rose explored. Rose didn't seem to mind, besides looking _exhausted_.

Emily wasn't looking forward to tomorrow. She had a bad feeling, one that had been slowly mounting since they ate and was coiling in the pit of her stomach like a _snake_. It wasn't a fear of Rose attacking someone or Moira going back on her word. She felt like something _terrible_ was about to happen. Wether she liked it or not, the safest place for them was with her aunt at the university. She rolled over and looked at her phone as another image popped up, this time of Rose kneeling next to a small crate with three puppies in it. The look of _awe_ on her face as they licked her offered hand was comforting, at least a little bit. But it didn't push down the _dread_ Emily was feeling.

She felt like a mouse that had wandered into a snake's sight, too late to run, to late to hide. The only option being to sit and wait for the inevitable. It was a _dreadful_ feeling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to update holy moly, I've been so busy. 
> 
> Normally I'd say something happy or playful but I'm super tired so blah blah if you liked it kudos blah blah comments blah. That is all. Love y'all and see you in the next episode!


	11. Catalyst Within a Cataclysm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unexpected ally turns up and Rose finds a lot more in common with them than expected. 
> 
> Jack finally catches up. 
> 
> Rose makes a choice that might cost her everything.

Arriving at the university the next morning bright and early, Emily knocked on the heavy wood door. She felt more at ease now, less like an intruder and more like a guest. She didn't want to say she trusted Moira. But she honestly felt that she could _start_ to after their last meetup. Their talk had done a lot to ease her worries. Moira, for all her flaws was ultimately her only remaining close family, and she had noticed that her aunt was making an effort to act accordingly.

"It's open." The older woman's voice called from inside, along with another voice Emily didn't recognize but Lena certainly seemed to, judging from how she was _bristling_. Rose was blinking in confusion at her double's sudden reaction as Emily pushed the door open and stepped in.

Moira was just finishing removing a needle from the arm of the room's second occupant, whose hackles were raised _just_ as much as Lena's, for good reason.

"Why the fuck did you let bloody _Widowmaker_ in here!?" Lena hissed as she jumped forward, putting herself between Emily and the sniper. Widow didn't seem all too fazed, besides the apparent discomfort she was feeling at being caught.

"To be fair, I was under the impression that she was _dead_. She showed up half an hour ago and I am testing my theory. It seems I was correct." Moira replied coolly as she finished taping a patch of gauze over the small puncture she had created, allowing the sniper to stand as she set the syringe full of almost clear fluid on a tray.

"But what is she _doing_ here!?" Tracer pressed, tensing as the taller, blue-skinned woman turned just enough to look at her irritably.

"Does she _ever_ shut up?" Her tone was that of someone who was mentally _exhausted_ and annoyed. She didn't seem hostile, at least not _yet_. Just _tired_. When Lena remained between the sniper and Emily, Widow rolled her eyes with a sound of exasperation and turned back to Moira, crossing her arms.

"Lena, look at her, she's _really_ hurt. I don't think she's here to harm anyone. I think she just needed _help_." Emily murmured. Upon closer inspection Lena seemed to realize that she was _right_. Once she stopped and looked, _actually_ looked, it was clear that Widow wasn't as she normally was. Her arms were mottled with bruises and she was keeping one foot off the ground as though putting weight on it was causing her _pain_. There was a long, thin cut over one of her eyes, though the eye itself was undamaged, that had been carefully closed with medical tape. She wasn't wearing her usual catsuit, rather, she was wearing something far more _normal_ , a loose grey tank top and skintight black leggings. Her visor and her gauntlet were also absent, leaving her looking _smaller_ , less threatening, and a bit too normal for Lena's comfort. The blue-skinned woman leaned back against the counter behind her, arms crossed as she regarded the trio with a mixture of disdain and caution. Her eyes fell to Rose, after a moment, and there was a visible _flicker_ behind her normally expressionless mask. Confusion and surprise, followed, slowly, by a wary _curiosity_.

“She has a _sister_...?” It was so quiet that they almost missed it.

“That would take a bit of time to explain. Perhaps they can explain it to you while I take this one for more tests. I have a lot to do today. Do try to behave, all of you? I already brought this one,” she put one hand on Widow’s bandaged shoulder for emphasis, “back from death’s door once, I would prefer her _alive_ , thank you very much.”

Rose didn’t need much coaxing today, her confidence apparently boosted sufficiently enough by their almost normal interactions and Emily's lack of concern for her to follow the taller woman with very little protest.

Lena swallowed nervously the moment the door shut with a soft click, her eyes having never left the blue skinned woman as she made her way over to one of the chairs in the large office and sank into it with a sigh, letting her head tip back. After a few moments in which the assassin simply breathed slowly, her eyes fluttered back open and she regarded the two of them _lazily_ , normally sharp golden eyes more comparable to melting honey now.

“ _Well_? You had a story for me?”

—-

“I had this brought in for you.”

Rose wasn't prepared for the wave of immense _relief_ when Moira revealed a combat suit that was lying on one of her tables. It was almost exactly as she remembered with only a few minor modifications.

“Ever since we stopped using the assassins I’ve been tinkering with the armor. This one should be more to your liking. Better protection and less restrictions. No built in shock punishment or mind altering chips. I removed them personally.” The older woman explained as Rose hurriedly began to shrug off her hoodie. "Now that your mind is relatively unrestricted, I believe that you can be trusted to wield weapons. Considering your current predicament, it would be foolish to have you rely on Tracer to protect both you _and_ Emily." Moira elaborated as she leaned back on the counter, being careful not to jostle the rack of test tubes that contained Rose's blood samples. They were still useful after all. “Let’s get this on you, shall we?”

The fit was almost perfect, and there was little need to adjust it. Rose was still a bit thinner than her counterpart and would undoubtedly fit it perfectly in a few months. It felt a little heavier than she remembered with the added armor, but its weight was a welcome comfort. She didn't remember anything from her time using the suit, but she had a feeling that the lack of armour before had left her very prone to being targeted from afar before she could get close and do damage. She was less of a _burden_ now, she could protect herself. She missed the comfort of her old suit and this was a welcome replacement.

She carefully rolled her shoulders, then performed a few basic stretches to test the fit of the suit, and discover any restriction to her movement. There were none, she was able to move freely. She straightened up with a sigh of relief. That left just _one_ thing to test.

The built in weaponry of the suit was _remarkable_. The sensory receptors that covered the lower arms and gloves didn't just provide Rose with better sensory perception. The receptors lining the inside of the gloves easily registered each small movement, activating the small hardlight projectors on the back of each gauntlet the moment she curled her ring finger and tapped her palms twice.

Seeing the blades materialize brought her even _more_ comfort, knowing she could protect herself and the ones she cared about. She may have forgotten the process in which she learned, but the muscle memory and instincts remained as strong as ever.

"Put your outer clothing back on, before you leave. It wouldn't end well for anyone of you were spotted wearing that." Moira said as she turned to gesture to some of the equipment that filled the room. "Now, let's continue. I want to get a better look at those eyes of yours before we go make sure the others haven't killed each other."

\--

They hadn't strangled each other yet, to their credit. Widow was still slumped in her chair and looked less like she was about to murder someone and more like she was on the verge of falling asleep as she listened to Lena explain the last few months.

"So why're you here? Didn't think they ever gave you a break. An' how did you get so banged up?" Lena inquired the moment she had finished, sinking against her girlfriend with a soft huff as the blue-skinned woman slowly sat back up, her movements slow and careful. She had to be aching from whatever caused her current injuries.

"I experienced a... malfunction." She slowly explained, her words coming haltingly as though she were not used to speaking about herself, or as though she was expecting some kind of _punishment_ for the simple act. "When I attempted to return to my handlers for a diagnostic, I was met with... _hostility_. I sustained several injuries before I escaped. I have been... running from them since then." She rested her elbow on the armrest of her chair and leaned her head on her hand as Lena made a small sound of understanding.

"Last week I was almost recaptured and in the process of escaping... I ran into _you_ ," she gestured to Lena, looking faintly annoyed, " and... as I recall, you broke my leg. I had no choice but to seek out O'Deorain for treatment. She hasn't turned on me, so I am still here. I will rest, and then... I will _leave_."

Emily was slowly nodding off as she spoke, the assassin's voice was unbelievably soothing for such a dangerous woman, but she forced herself to sit back up as Lena began to speak, the guilt and sympathy in her voice all too obvious now that she had heard the other woman's story.

"Was wonderin' why you weren't helpin'. Makes sense, now that I think about it." She trailed off, rubbing the back of her neck, "I feel like a right _arse_ now though. Made life that much harder for ya. Kinda wish you'da tried to talk to me, before I went and busted your leg up."

The sniper made a small, doubtful noise, before she replied, "to what end? Talon may not... want me any longer, but _Overwatch_? They have ordered that I be shot on sight ever since I killed Ana Amari. Trying to talk you down would have gained... _nothing_. It would have simply allowed time for one of your allies to spot me and try to finish me. Escape... was the _only_ option."

Emily felt Lena nodding from where she was nestled under her chin, playing with one of the strings on her hoodie. "Still, I feel like an idiot for not noticing anything." She stretched, then relaxed back into her chair with a groan. "But you got me pretty good too, for the record. Still gotta move carefully or I'll pull my stitches."

The sniper's gaze briefly shifted from Lena's face to her body, moat likely she was trying to figure out wether or not Lena was actually trusting her with the knowledge that she was still injured. When her eyes drifted back to the brunette's face they were filled with a mixture of confusion, curiosity and, to Lena's surprise, actual genuine concern.

"Your medic... did not think to _mend_ your injuries? Not even the more serious ones?" She questioned softly, perhaps a bit _guiltily_. Lena shrugged, "She's been out of sorts lately, been really stressed out. She just _snapped_ at me, said that if I didn't act like an idiot I'd never've needed healing. An’ she just sent me home." She had meant to sound confident and sure of herself but she just sounded tired and _resigned_ as she deflated against the back of her chair. "It doesn't really matter though, I'm done with all the bloody madness. They stopped being the good guys when Jack took one look at Rose and decided that she had to _die_ because of what she looked like, without a trial or questioning, and everyone else just _let_ it happen." She ran a hand through her hair and sighed, trying to ignore the stinging of unshed tears pricking at the corners of her eyes . "Hell, I think we stopped being the good guys a long time ago. I was just too stubborn to see it."

Widow listened quietly, and she didn't reply for a few moments, instead appearing to be collecting her thoughts before she continued.

"We have been trying to kill each other for so long that it _became_ our purpose."

Lena huffed a laugh, "Jack stopped giving a damn about the innocent people we were hurting a long time ago." She slowly sat up and wiped her eyes with her sleeve before continuing. "We're finally on the same side, and it turns out we aren't on either. Who'da thunk?"

"...Thought."

" _Oh piss off._ "

There was no bite to Lena's words and they both chuckled, relaxing as close to completely as they could. It seemed that, for now at least, they had accepted a truce.

~

It had been around noon when they finished speaking, and by the time Moira returned it was nearing two. Lena had managed to doze off, which was _miraculous_ considering her nemesis was less than three meters away. Widow had managed to remain awake, but only just, her head tipped back against the top of the chair and her eyes at half mast as she breathed slowly and deeply. She was a lot like Rose when she was still getting used to a normal routine. She was unable to sleep, her instincts keeping her awake solely because Lena was in the room. She was relaxed, but she had not let her guard down. It was a _start_ , at least, and a far better one than they expected.

When Moira reappeared, looking satisfied as she set a pile of papers about an inch thick on her desk, they all snapped back to full wakefulness. Rose followed more slowly, her hands shoved in her pockets. She looked more at ease than Emily had ever seen her, _confident_ even, not even glancing at Widow like she had been earlier as she sauntered over to them.

When she learned exactly _why_ Rose was more relaxed, Emily was far less pleased about it. She had seen Overwatch agents a few times, not enough to know them well but enough to immediately spot the glint of metal poking out of the hoodie and the soft rasp of metal against leather.

"Rose, what are you wearing under that?"

The brunette flinched, confidence leaving her _immediately_ and looking like she was caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

"I, uh....." She slowly pulled her hands out of her pockets and fidgeted with the gloves Emily was very sure she had _not_ been wearing earlier. When Rose continued to stammer and mumble, self consciously shifting from one foot to the other, Emily turned her question on her Aunt.

"What did you do?"

Moira looked up from the papers she was beginning to separate into files, looking unimpressed with her niece's suspicion.

"I simply returned what technically belongs to her. She won't be as easy of a target, and she can actively defend herself and you if she needs to.”

When Emily remained unimpressed and unconvinced Moira sighed, “I removed any means of hurting or controlling her myself, and I checked the suit _three_ times before I had it brought in. It’s completely safe. All you need to do is find a way to remove the insignia on her shoulder.”

While they spoke, Widow had slowly pushed herself up, still keeping as much weight off of her leg as she could as she watched the two redheads argue back and forth about the decision, looking both curious and uncomfortable. When Lena settled down into her chair again with a yawn, and closed her eyes, it seemed to give the assassin the confidence she needed to slowly approach Rose now that Lena wasn’t guarding her.

“Would you prefer she remain completely _vulnerable_ , Emily? You know that Lena cannot protect the both of you at all times, look at her. She’s already run herself ragged.” Moira gestured to Lena, who looked to be melting into her chair.

“If you want to keep Rose safe the best thing you can do is arm her.”

“This is why Lena should have brought her kit! She only left them behind as a sign of goodwill!”

Moira pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed heavily.

“If I give you two of the ones that ended up here will you _relax_ about the combat suit?”

“She lost them!?”

~

Widowmaker glanced over as Emily followed her aunt, grumbling to herself. The door shut with a soft click, and then they were alone. Just her, Lena, and this odd copy of Lena who was fidgeting even more now that Widowmaker seemed to be focussed on _her_. Lena was asleep. It was a good opportunity to see what this copy was, and possibly learn about her before her counterpart came to rescue her.

The smaller woman didn’t back away, at least, when the assassin approached her, though she looked like she wanted nothing more than to bolt.

“You look like her.” Widow said simply, gesturing to where Lena was fast asleep in her chair. The girl looked down at her feet, before she nodded slowly, not seeming to want to make eye contact.

“How are you so similar?”

The girl silently shifted from one foot to the other, then she said something so _softly_ that Widow had to step closer and bend down to catch it.

“I _am_ her.”

“That isn’t _possible_. There cannot be two of anyone.”

“I _am_.”

“Then _explain_.”

The girl looked at her feet again and was silent. Clearly she was either unwilling or unable to explain. Widow sighed, then she continued to ask questions.

“You have red eyes... why are they _red_?”

“They said that they were _better_.”

“They?”

 _Silence_. The girl looked extremely uncomfortable, so Widow changed tactics again.

“You aren’t with Overwatch?”

The girl shook her head, one hand coming up to rub up and down her other arm.

“They.... they don’t really _like_ me.”

“You have red eyes, a red and black suit and you don’t work with Overwatch.”

“Yeah....”

Widow blinked slowly before she continued.

“...you are like _me_.”

The girl finally, slowly looked up and met her gaze, biting her lip.

“I _think_ so.”

The sniper cautiously raised a hand, pausing when the girl’s eyes followed it as it drew closer to her.

“I will not hurt you...” Widow murmured, partly to _reassure_ the girl and partly to remind _herself_ not to do anything either. The girl’s eyes remained on her hand, but she didn’t step back or lean away.

Widow couldn’t help but inhale sharply when she finally brushed the backs of her fingers against the girl’s freckled cheek.... and she _did not_ pull away. The sniper was used to people _shying_ away from her touch, _flinching_ because she felt like a _corpse_ , icy and unpleasant. The girl blinked slowly, but she didn’t move to recoil or step back. She _let_ Widow touch, and didn’t seem all that uncomfortable as the sniper moved to gently cup her cheek with the palm of her hand.

The girl almost seemed to _lean_ into it, her eyes starting to close just slightly as though, somehow, she was _enjoying_ the touch.

“You’re....”

There was a _crash_ and a startled yell and Widow jerked her hand back as Lena blinked over to them, evidently not liking what she had woken up to.

“Oi what’re you doing to Rose?” She sounded and looked upset, but not angry. Just distressed. Widow _froze_ , just for a moment, as she racked her brain for an answer.

“She didn’t hurt me.”

Widow looked _just_ as surprised as Lena when the girl, Rose, spoke up, still quiet but definitely trying to stand up for the sniper.

“Rose you don’t know what she’s done! She-“

“Killed people. Like me. She’s just like _me_.”

“That’s not what I-“

“She’s an assassin. _I’m_ an assassin. _That_ much I remember. I _know_ I’ve killed people because I was _ordered_ to.”

Lena was _flustered_ now, scrambling.

“You didn’t have a choice!!”

“Did _you_ have a choice?”

Widow didn’t realize at first that the question was directed at _her_. Once she did she looked down at Rose with a deer-in-headlights expression.

“When you killed people, was it because you _wanted_ to?”

She blinked again. No one had ever even thought about her opinion on the topic.

“I.... I never _wanted_ to kill people. I was simply following orders.”

“So you had no choice.”

“Yes. I did. _Once_.”

Lena blinked at her with an all too familiar look of _bafflement_. “When’d you have a choice then?”

Widow sighed. She didn't enjoyed talking about it. She _used_ to, but over time it had turned into a sour reminder of what happened when she _disobeyed_.

“Mondatta or you.”

Lena looked lost, then angry.

“Don’t you bring up that night! I know you _enjoyed_ taking that shot!”

“Lena, let her talk. _Please_.”

“So now you’re taking _her_ side!?”

“If you had let me finish,” Widow interjected, waiting until Lena gave a huff and reluctantly fell silent, “I would have informed you that during our fight, my orders _changed_. Mondatta was no longer the target.”

Lena had been scowling at her but the look of confusion was back, though she looked very doubtful. “What do you mean?”

“I was ordered to let Mondatta go and kill _you_ instead.”

Lena had been about to retort, but her mouth snapped shut. Rose remained silent, and Widow continued.

“You were more of a threat to Talon than Mondatta was. But you were also the more _powerful_ force for good. You were going to change the world in ways Mondatta _never_ could. So I made a choice. And I shot _him_.”

She expected Lena to _shout_ and to _deny_ her explanation, or perhaps even _attack_ her out of rage. She had _certainly_ been enraged on the night of that shooting. But she just stood there, mouth opening and closing as she tried to process the new information.

“You were so bright and _beautiful_ and you were going to save the _world_ one day. You let your actions speak for you, while Mondatta used words. A brave choice but one that untimately changed _nothing_. You were going to bring Talon down and _protect_ people. So I did have a choice. And I chose _you_.”

Lena was _silent_. Widow couldn’t look at her shocked expression so she instead looked over at Rose, who was just looking back with a calm curiosity. She was a strange girl.

“I-“

Lena finally got herself together enough to speak, but she didn’t manage to get a word out before they were interrupted.

The door Emily had vanished through _slammed_ open and Moira all but faded into the room, looking very close to panicked as she spoke.

“Your fish impressions will have to wait, Oxton. We have a problem. He found us.”

“He?”

“For fuck’s sake, _JACK MORRISON_ is in the university! We need to _go_!”

Rose _stiffened_ and Widow saw the blood draining out of her already pale skin. Lena had a similar response.

“I left Emily at the exit, there’s already a vehicle outside waiting but we have to go.” Moira tossed something to Widow, who quickly slipped it onto her arm and tightened it. Her grapple.

“It was the only thing I’ve managed to repair, and if you try to use it without a shoulder guard you’ll dislocate your arm so try to _avoid_ that please.”

Widow, somehow, was the only one of the three who was calm enough to take both women by their elbows and begin walking them towards the door Moira was holding for them. They were both seemingly _paralyzed_ , but Rose was far worse than Lena. She was barely able to walk steadily and her breathing had gotten _laboured_.

“He made it to this floor before my own security system recognized him. Security is stalling him but he won’t be held up for long.” Moira muttered as she strode ahead, Lena blinking after her as soon as she had gotten her bearings. Rose had calmed down just enough to be able to run, but she was holding onto Widow’s arm for dear life. The extra weight made her leg _hurt_ even more  

“Once we get through the skywalk there’ll be an elevator. It’s only accessible to me and, well, my _associates_. Once we get in we will be safe.”

Why had they left Rose with _her_!? She was able to keep up but she was in no condition to fight, looking like she would pass out if it came to that. Widow felt the instinctive need to save _herself_ , leave this girl behind if she couldn’t fight, but she _pushed_ it down as best she could. She wasn’t Talon’s pet sniper any longer, and if part of her redemption was to protect this girl, she _would_.

She could hear heavy footfalls behind them and she thoughtlessly placed a venom mine as they rounded a corner, and the light from outside grew suddenly brighter. It was still light out and Widow heard Rose _yelp_ quietly as they stepped onto the skywalk and were both momentarily blinded.

“Hurry!” Lena cried as she reached the elevator, turning to call for the two stragglers. Widow didn’t need to look behind her to know that they _wouldn’t_ make it to the elevator. She saw any remaining color in Lena Oxton’s face drain away, before she heard the sound of her mine triggering followed by harsh coughing.

“ _THERE YOU ARE_!”

Widow felt the moment Rose’s legs locked in terror and she _completely_ froze, only mobile enough to turn and see the red glint of a visor and the barrel of the gun pointed at them. _They wouldn’t make it._

Widow tried as best she could to move Rose behind her as fast as her injured body would allow, trying to _protect_ her as best she could, to _shield_ her with her own body as Jack Morrison pulled the trigger.

~

Time seemed to slow down as Rose realized she had about half a second to save Widowmaker. Time always slowed for her in the moment before the strike and this was no different. Whereas most people would never react in time, moment stretched out for her and she had a bigger window to act upon. It was t much though. Jack was too close for her to do much of anything, the pulse rounds he fired already travelling towards them as she began to move, _forcing_ her legs to unlock.

She had grabbed Widow’s arm, _yanked_ her backwards, slipped in front of her, and pushed her even further back with her right hand all in the span of the half second it took for the rounds to reach her. She didn’t have time to block them, and she felt them connect with her hip and left shoulder as time returned to its normal speed. The third round struck the ground beneath their feet and she was reminded very abruptly that they were in a _skywalk_ , between two buildings and _very_ high up, when the ground crumbled with the force of the explosion.

Time was kind of a _blur_ after that. Rose was aware of Lena _screaming_ but she couldn’t see her, the wind _whipping_ her face and the glass windows of the buildings _flashing_ past at breakneck speed.

It took her until she saw the ground rushing up to realize that she was _falling_. The next thing she realized was that she couldn’t feel her left arm. Everything was a blur of white and yellow and red and black and.... _blue_.

She faintly heard the sound of a grapple firing before everything went black.

_She remembered nothing after that._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the finale of Pick Me Up! This is extremely late and I apologize, I just hit a brick wall and needed time to think. 
> 
> This is by no means the end for Rose, and her story will continue! This is just the end of this arc, and soon another part will begin to continue her journey!
> 
> Leave a comment and tell me how I did! This is my most precious AU and I would love to get some feedback!
> 
> Thank you to everyone who stuck around till the end and I can't wait to bring you the next part of Rose's story! Any ideas on what the next part should be called?


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